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Investigations Into Last Month’s Plane Crash Shows 40% Of Pilots In Pakistan Have Fake Licences
About 40% of civilian pilots in Pakistan have fake flying licences and forged certificates.
The revelation comes a month after a plane crashed near Pakistani airport on May 22.
Two people survived the crash while 97 passengers lost their lives.
Pakistan airline have suspended 150 of its pilots over alleged licence fraud.
About 40% of civilian pilots in Pakistan have fake flying licences and forged certificates.
Pakistani Aviation Minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan has revealed that around 40 per cent of civilian pilots in the country have fake flying licences.
Sarwar revealed the startling news while presenting a provisional inquiry report in the National Assembly of Pakistan about the recent PIA plane crash in Karachi.
Ghulam Sarwar Khan said 262 pilots in the country “did not take the exam themselves”. He said they paid someone else to sit it on their behalf.
“Pakistan has 860 active pilots, which includes PIA, Serene Air and Air Blue pilots as well.”
“The inquiry, which was initiated in February 2019 showed that 262 pilots did not take the exam themselves and asked someone else to sit for exam on their behalf”
Khan said that degrees of at least four PIA pilots had also been found to be fake. He added that investigations found that pilots with ‘fake’ licences did not even have proper flying experience.
“They don’t have flying experience”
The 40 per cent ‘fake’ licence holders also include hundreds of pilots who are not “active flyers.”
Sarwar further revealed:
“Pilots were also appointed on political basis, unfortunately. Merit was ignored while appointing pilots”
He said that an inquiry has been initiated in this regard, and showcause notices have been issued to 54 pilots.
“Some of the pilots have also challenged these notices in court.
So far, at least nine pilots have confessed to holding fake degrees”
The revelation comes a month after PIA flight PK8303, carrying 99 people including eight crew members, crashed into a densely populated residential area near Karachi airport on May 22.
Two people survived the crash while 97 passengers lost their lives.
In his provisional report, the minister held pilots and the air control tower responsible for causing the PIA plane crash in Karachi.
But he did not clarify if the two pilots on flight PK 8303 held fake licenses.
The minister’s revelations has forced Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) to suspend 150 of its pilots. The airline said:
“Out of our 434 pilots, 150 will be grounded as of today”
