Nearly 40% PIA pilots have dubious licenses and certificates

The big question is that how these pilots succeeded to get job in PIA 

The Federal Minister for Aviation Ghulam Sarwar Khan while presenting the initial report of Karachi Plane crash in the National Assembly revealed the shocking fact that 40% of PIA pilots were flying aircraft with fake licenses. It was really scary and embarrassing to hear that fake pilots were flying planes of national carrier. 

It is a matter of great concern and government should constitute a powerful and independent commission to fix the responsibility of appointing fake degree holder pilots in the national carrier. It is welcoming development that PIA has initiated proceedings against pilots with fake or dubious degrees and licenses. 

But equally important is to determine and punish all those who made such appointments in the national airline. It seems that PALPA an organisation represent the pilots in PIA will resist the action against fake pilots.  They already have rejected the initial findings of an inquiry committee. Government should not succumbed to the pressure and take action against fake pilots. It shows that there loopholes in the recruitment process that needs to be plugged. 

                                           

The federal minister told the house that "Pakistan has 860 active pilots, which includes PIA, Serene Air, and Air Blue. The inquiry which was initiated in February 2019 showed that 262 pilots did not give the exam themselves and asked someone else to give it on their behalf." The minister further revealed that the pilots did not have the proper flying experience either.

He said that "pilots are also appointed on political basis, unfortunately," he had said. "Whilst appointing pilots, merit is ignored," he had added, disclosing that in another instance, degrees of four PIA pilots had been found fake. Sarwar said the government would take action against pilots who were found guilty of the above offenses. He said the PIA would be "restructured" and taken back to its days of glory. 

The PIA chairman has said that "action will be taken against all those pilots with fake licenses." He also said that the airline would take all necessary steps to make the commercial operation safe.

Earlier, the national carrier had acknowledged the preliminary report of the last month's plane crash in Karachi that left 97 people dead, saying that it would ground all pilots with "dubious licenses".

"PIA acknowledges the AAIB report and has already taken measures learning from it. An independent Flight Data Monitoring setup established to monitor and analyse all flights," the PIA wrote on Twitter on Wednesday.

Successive governments have tried to overhaul loss-making PIA over the years but with little sign of success. The airline’s latest accident came late last month when an Airbus A320 on a domestic flight came down short of the runway in the southern city of Karachi, killing all but two of those aboard.