Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) said it has taken about 150 pilots off their flights while it is checking their licenses, media reported Thursday citing a PIA spokesman
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 25th June, 2020) Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) said it has taken about 150 pilots off their flights while it is checking their licenses, media reported Thursday citing a PIA spokesman.
A day prior, Aviation Minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan presented to parliament a preliminary report about the May 22 Karachi air crash that killed 97 people. The report found the human factor to blame, but also noted that the pilots had "dubious licenses."
"About 150 pilots are being grounded," PIA spokesman Abdullah Hafeez told the Dawn newspaper.
The company is checking their licenses to fit international standards to man flights, both domestic and international.
"Those found at fault will be terminated from service after following a due process," Hafeez said.
The spokesman added that PIA had written to the Civil Aviation Authority to urgently provide the list of other licenses found to be dubious among the company's ranks.
The preliminary report found that the pilots of the May 22 flight from Islamabad to Karachi had "overconfidence and lack of focus" and did not follow set procedures for landing aircraft.
