Pakistan's PIA has been barred from operating in the European … While addressing Pakistan’s National Assembly, Aviation Minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan said that the country has 860 active pilots serving its domestic airlines, as well as some foreign carriers, and that 262 have fake licences and are not qualified to fly. In terms of numbers, this means that 262 of Pakistan’s 860 currently active pilots have been found to have dubious licenses. List of 17 PIA pilots carrying fake licenses CAA reluctant to take action against PIA pilots with ‘dubious’ licenses. So far 17 pilots have been fired in the first phase of Pakistan International Airlines’ investigation. Journalist - With four years of writing experience behind her and a background in scientific studies, PhD. The victims were all aged between 15 and 44. Hence, may it be under pressure or due to actual consideration PIA has finally suspended 150 pilot … US bans Pakistan’s PIA over pilot license scandal Follows a similar move by European Union aviation regulators to bar the state-run carrier for six months Updated 10 July 2020 Pakistan’s Aviation Division on Sunday produced a list of 262 PIA pilots who carried fake licenses, but the list was filled with errors and false information. It follows a similar move by European Union aviation regulators to bar the state-run carrier for six months. Stay informed: Sign up for our daily aviation news digest. This isn’t the first time that PIA has dismissed pilots for faking their academic achievements. A PIA official confirmed that the pilots, including some first officers, have been issued termination letters. On Thursday, Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), the nation's flag carrier, grounded 150 of its 434 pilots, whom it said had "dubious licenses." On December 14, 2020, Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) representative informed the country’s Supreme Court that the airline had cleared 110 pilots out of 141 in a fake pilots’ license scandal. FILE - In this May 22, 2020 file photo, volunteers look for survivors of a Pakistan International Airlines plane that crashed in a residential area of Karachi, Pakistan. और पढ़े . The airline had suspended its commercial operations to the US in 2017 after booking financial losses on the route. "Our goal is not to defend the 141 PIA pilots but to protect Pakistan's identity, protect the dignity of Pakistan's aviation industry and fight for the rights of the pilot community," he said. Uganda Airlines Takes Delivery Of Rare Airbus A330-800, flydubai Takes Over Dubai-Zagreb Route From Emirates, White House COVID Taskforce To Meet About Potential UK Flight Ban, Perfect Plane Photography – The Art Of The Image Edit, United Passengers Could’ve Been Exposed To COVID-19. Thursday Jun 25, 2020 . Two PIA pilot sisters are also rumored to be fake license holders So, a few years back, Maryam Masood and Erum Masood, the PIA pilots were in the news for making history. Lorry driver Eamonn Harrison, 24, from Northern Ireland, and Romanian national Gheorghe Nica, 43, were found guilty on of 39 counts of manslaughter by a London court. Pakistan’s state-run airline has grounded 150 pilots following allegations that the pilots held fake licenses or cheated on their licensing exams. “PIA acknowledges that fake licenses is not just a PIA issue but spread across the entire Pakistani airline industry,” PIA spokesperson Abdullah Khan said in a report to CNN. Monday's convictions brings the total number found guilty in the UK in connection to the crime to eight. Until the 1970s, Pakistan’s largest airline was considered a top regional carrier but its reputation plummeted amid chronic mismanagement, frequent cancelations and financial struggles. Hours after the report was made public by the aviation minister, PIA released a statement on Twitter stating that all pilots with suspicious licenses will be grounded. Pakistan’s aviation authorities have been probing allegations of fake pilot qualifications in Pakistan since 2018. But in April the US Department of Transport granted it special permission to operate chartered flights for one year, largely to bring back stranded Pakistanis during the coronavirus lockdown. Pakistan’s state-run airline announced Thursday, June 25, 2020, it will ground 150 pilots on charges they obtained their pilot licenses by having others take exams for them. 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They are expected to be sentenced early in January. Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has grounded 150 pilots over claims they may not hold a valid licence. The public is calling them out on their irresponsible stance and negligence here and then. Based in Goa, India. "I'm determined to bring callous people smugglers to justice and keep our communities safe from the actions of horrendous organised crime groups." PIA has lost money for the last 15 years. Pakistan Government Cancels license of 50 PIA pilots. A full investigation was conducted after the Karachi plane crash earlier in May this year that killed 97 people. The move comes following the release of the preliminary findings into last month’s crash that killed 97 people in Karachi. He said he was unable to check if all of those inside were still alive, as they were "closely packed" in the back of the truck. The bodies of the men and women were found inside a sealed container near London in October 2019 after suffocating in sweltering temperatures. The pilots’ license scandal is the latest in the PIA’s long history of scandals. The airline said that an inquiry into the licenses will be examining the process through which they were obtained. The investigation at the time found that pilots were not the only crew members holding false degrees. The wider government probe was launched after an investigation into a crash in 2018. Others had used a metal pole to try to punch a hole through the roof or attract attention, the court heard. The findings were presented in parliament on Wednesday by Pakistan’s Aviation Minister, Ghulam Sarwar Khan. Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) announced yesterday that it has suspended 150 pilots after suspicions arose over the authenticity of their licenses. PIA Suspends 150 Pilots Due To Fake License Fraud. While giving his report, he told parliament that more than 30% of civilian commercial pilots in Pakistan have fake licenses and are not fully qualified to fly passenger planes. Pakistan’s airline PIA is under hot waters since the recent aircraft crash that took place in Karachi. This is the highest level of corruption any airline can do. The carrier has also highlighted that this problem does not pertain to it alone. Maurice Robinson, 26, who collected the container and found the bodies, had already pleaded guilty to 39 counts of manslaughter and to conspiring in people-smuggling. fake qualifications, and disciplinary actions were taken. The airline’s decision came after the preliminary findings of a probe into the PIA crash in Karachi on May 22nd held the pilots responsible. Be in the know. Pakistan’s aviation minister revealed in June that a government review had found around 260 of the country’s 860 active pilots hold fake licenses or cheated on exams. PIA at the time said it would immediately ground about a third of its 434 pilots, just weeks after one of its planes crashed in Karachi killing 98 people — an accident blamed on pilot error. (AFP). Prosecutors have said the trapped Vietnamese were unable to get a phone signal inside the container, whose cooling system was turned off. Follow these easy steps to disable AdBlock, Follow these easy steps to disable AdBlock Plus, Follow these easy steps to disable uBlock Origin, Follow these easy steps to disable uBlock, preliminary findings into last month’s crash. The fraudulent pilot license inquiry was first initiated when a PIA ATR-22 aircraft skidded off the runway in the southwest of Pakistan last summer. Abdullah Hafeez, a spokesman for PIA, told AFP that a government probe last year had found that 150 of its 434 pilots were carrying fake or suspicious licenses. After revelations surfaced that as many as 262 of the 860 commercial pilots in Pakistan are not really certified to fly, I wrote an op-ed calling for Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) to be blacklisted until a full investigation was completed. The airline said that safety is more important than any commercial interest. The deaths of the Vietnamese victims in the UK have highlighted the vast and unscrupulous trafficking networks spanning the globe. Pakistani pilot licence scandal: The fallout. It's the process & discrepancies through which they were obtained, triggered the inquiry by GoP & action. An alarming number of employees had fake qualifications, and disciplinary actions were taken. The International Air Transport Association (IATA), which must be undoubtedly concerned by these revelations, has said that it is following the reports from Pakistan regarding the dubious pilot licenses. The girls were appreciated on national level for being able to simultaneously fly a Boeing 777 aircraft. It later come out that the license of the regional jet’s pilot had been issued on a public holiday. Pia needs to buy new planes and with upgrade in flight entertainment. The pilots are accused of paying others to sit the tests on their behalf. Anil Kumar . Home Secretary (interior minister) Priti Patel said Monday's verdict had motivated her "to do all I can to go after the people smugglers who prey on the vulnerable and trade in human misery". Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has decided to ground 150 of its pilots with dubious licenses. Of the total pilots listed there, 141 names are reportedly suspicious while 39 pilots others are not even a … What do you think of the latest PIA scandal? The validity or otherwise of the pilot’s licenses remains unconfirmed. So far 17 pilots have been fired in the first phase of its investigation, a PIA spokesman said. During the trial, British police officer Jack Emerson described finding the trailer "full of bodies" when he first arrived on the scene and searched for signs of life. educated Lindy has been published in a number of academic journals. More than half of them were from PIA, and the airline said it would immediately ground 141 of its 434 pilots. PIA has given no additional details about the alleged cheating. Pakistan's PIA suspended in Europe over fake pilot licence scandal. Mobile phones recovered from the bodies of the 39 victims showed they had tried to raise the alarm and left messages for the families as they ran out of air. Haulage firm boss Ronan Hughes, 41, has also admitted 39 manslaughter charges. Investigators have blamed the crash on pilot error. Thereafter, you can begin the training for the Private Pilot License (PPL) or for the Commercial Pilot License (CPL). A forensic expert calculated it would have taken about nine hours for the air to turn toxic in the trailer, with death coming soon after. PIA pilot license irregularities represent 'serious lapse' in safety protocols: IATA. Sign up to our daily aviation news digest. PIA said in a statement that the Federal Aviation Authority in the US had revoked approval for the airline due to “recent events identified by the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority that are of serious concern to aviation safety.” The license scandal is the latest in a series of blows for the airline. The EASA said it had suspended PIA and a smaller private Pakistan airline "in view of the recent investigation reported on in the Pakistani Parliament which revealed that a large share of pilot licenses issued in Pakistan are invalid". Let it be on record, these licenses were issued by the competent authority and are valid as per their records. Let us know in the comments. Dubious Pilots Licenses do not pertain to PIA alone. LONDON: Two people were found guilty on Monday of manslaughter and people smuggling over the gruesome discovery of 39 dead Vietnamese migrants in the back of a lorry in England last year. In 2019, we reported that several pilots had been dismissed for having false qualifications. Initially, you will be issued with a Student Pilot License (SPL). Khan insisted that for the past two years — since Prime Minister Imran Khan's government took over — no pilot with a fake license got a job at the PIA. All four were found guilty over their roles in a lucrative smuggling ring which prosecutors said had been motivated by greed. ... PIA pakistan airlines PIA Pilot. He added that a process to fire the pilots had been initiated. Seven individuals were convicted in September in Vietnam for varying degrees of involvement in the trafficking in the country's central Ha Tinh province. Christopher Kennedy, 24,and Valentin Calota, 38, were also convicted for their part in the smuggling operation after the 10-week trial. In June 2020, the airline suspended licenses of the 141 pilots while it was carrying out an investigation into their validity. Please Support us by turning off your adblocker. Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) announced yesterday that it has suspended 150 pilots after suspicions arose over the authenticity of their licenses. Many of them had come from poorer regions of Vietnam with their families, and like others, were plunged into thousands of dollars of debt to people smugglers to pay for the dangerous journeys. This latest revelation is bound to have adverse effects on the reputation of an airline that already has a poor safety record. Widely traveled, Lindy’s keen interest in sustainability gives her a unique viewpoint from which to report aviation-related matters. We use ads to keep our content free. You may read the detailed requirements in the Licensing Regulations. The bodies were discovered at the southeastern English port of Purfleet after being sealed inside the container for at least 12 hours, in unbearably high temperatures. In 2019, its liabilities stood at US$3.8 billion. Minister for Aviation Ghulam Sarwar Khan revealed this in the National Assembly. The PIA Pilots’ License Scandal. © 2020 SAUDI RESEARCH & PUBLISHING COMPANY, All Rights Reserved And subject to Terms of Use Agreement. KARACHI: The United States has banned Pakistan International Airlines from operating chartered flights to the country, the airline said, after it announced nearly 150 pilots would be grounded over fake or dubious licenses. related story . In May, a PIA A320 crashed in Karachi, killing 97 people. The competent authorities issued the licenses and they are valid according to their records. Prosecutors are considering charges against a further three people. The airline’s decision came after the preliminary findings of a probe into the PIA crash in Karachi on May 22nd held the pilots responsible. PIA is paying on an average Rs 15 million to pilot with fake licenses.. The inquiry found that the test date on the pilot’s license was a public holiday suggesting that the test could not have possibly taken place that day. PIA is filing an appeal, Khan said. More than 30% of civilian pilots in Pakistan have fake licenses and are not qualified to fly, the country's aviation minister revealed Wednesday. The EASA said it had suspended PIA and a smaller private Pakistan airline "in view of the recent investigation reported on in the Pakistani Parliament which revealed that a large share of pilot licenses issued in Pakistan are invalid". ... 20 Jul 2020. Reuters. By . Read full article. 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