Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has been banned by the European Union Air Safety Agency (EASA) from flights in and out of its member countries for a period of six months with effect from July 1st till December 31st, 2020. The ban was made public by the airlines spokesperson as reported by onemileata time.com.
“EASA has temporarily suspended PIA’s authorization to operate to the EU member states for a period of 6 months effective July 1, 2020 with the right appeal against this decision.”
“PIA acknowledges the AAIB report and has already taken measures learning from it. An independent Flight Data Monitoring setup established to monitor & analyze all flights. All pilots with dubious licenses will be grounded. Safety is more important than any commercial interest”
The airline which is Pakistan’s largest airline was sanction as a result of a recent disclosure by Pakistan’s Minister for Aviation Ghulam Sarwar Khan while addressing the national assembly that 262 of 860 pilots in Pakistan have “fake” licenses while emphasising that about 1 in every 3, are not qualified to fly and armed with fake licenses.
Preliminary findings of the crash, blamed it on human error. The investigation also revealed that 151 pilots in the country allegedly held fake credentials.
According to Khan: “The pilot ignored the instructions of the air traffic controllers and the ATC, on the other hand, did not inform the pilot about the engine colliding. The pilots were discussing corona throughout the flight. They were not focussed. They talked about corona virus and their families were affected. When the control tower asked him to increase the plane’s height, the pilot said ‘I’ll manage’. There was overconfidence,”
Sources revealed that the country has over 850 active pilots serving various domestic airlines, including the country’s flagship airline PIA, and other foreign carriers.
The crisis began when a Pakistan International Airlines Airbus A320 crashed last month, killing nearly 100 people. It was carrying 91 passengers and a crew of eight aboard before it crashed into the Jinnah Garden area near Model Colony in Malir, minutes before landing.
Observers say PIA has long been a basket case of an airline, though little has been done to fix things and that with the recent revelation by Pakistan’s Minister for Aviation, it’s hard to ignore the serious safety risks posed by PIA planes.
While addressing the national assembly, the minister said that over 260 pilots in Pakistan had paid someone else to take exams on their behalf.
Khan, on Wednesday, told Parliament that the pilots of the PIA plane that crashed on May 22 were not focussed during the flight, news agency PTI reported.
He pointed out their “overconfidence and lack of concentration” as some of the reasons for the tragedy that killed 97 people on board.
“The pilot ignored the instructions of the air traffic controllers and the ATC, on the other hand, did not inform the pilot about the engine colliding. The pilots were discussing corona throughout the flight. They were not focussed. They talked about corona virus and their families were affected. When the control tower asked him to increase the plane’s height, the pilot said ‘I’ll manage’. There was overconfidence,” Khan told the national assembly on Wednesday while presenting the interim investigation report on the plane crash.
Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has grounded all its pilots with fake licenses with immediate effect. The country has over 850 active pilots serving various domestic airlines, including the country’s flagship airline PIA, and other foreign carriers.
The findings were revealed after an investigation was led into a PIA plane crash in Karachi last month that killed nearly 100 people.
Meanwhile, following the revelation by Aviation Minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan on the fake or dubious licences, the international airlines have initiated probe against Pakistani employees.
The move aims at assuaging safety concerns after the aviation minister said earlier this week that the government had asked various commercial airlines, flying clubs and charter companies to ground a total of 262 pilots until investigations into their qualifications were completed.
The action was prompted by a preliminary report on the crash of a PIA aircraft in Karachi last month, which found pilots had failed to follow standard procedures. Global safety and transport bodies expressed concern over the alleged “dubious” licences and said they were looking into the matter.
The PIA spokesperson said the letter, signed by PIA Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Arshad Malik, had been sent to all heads of foreign missions in Pakistan as well as international aviation regulators and safety monitoring agencies. Malik had also informed the aviation ministry about the flight safety measures.
“It is also ensured that pilots flying PIA flights are having genuine licences endorsed by the government of Pakistan and are in physical possession of the same during all domestic and international flights,” said a copy of the letter sent to the US Embassy in Islamabad, seen by Reuters.
The PIA flights cover a number of international routes, including the ones leading to the United States, Britain and Europe. The letter promised that the airline would remain compliant with all international aviation safety and regulatory standards.
The 262 pilots – 109 commercial and 153 airline transport pilots – were grounded on Friday, pending conclusion of inquiries against them. They included 141 from PIA, nine from Air Blue, 10 from Serene Airline, and 17 from Shaheen Airlines, which has closed down, Abdullah Khan said.
Following the disclosure by the Minister, some countries placed sanctions on the airline.
Kuwait Air grounded seven Pakistani pilots and 56 engineers, while Qatar Airways, Oman Air and Vietnam Airlines have compiled lists of Pakistani pilots, engineers and ground-handling staff.
They insisted that the employees whose names are on the lists will remain grounded till a report is received from the Pakistani authorities.
Recall that the country was thrown into mourning recently when the Airbus A320 aircraft from Lahore to Karachi crashed in a residential area near the Jinnah International Airport in Karachi on May 22. It was carrying 91 passengers and a crew of eight aboard before it crashed into the Jinnah Garden area near Model Colony in Malir, minutes before landing.
In 2019, PIA grounded 17 pilots over concerns about their licences after one of its aircraft skidded off the runway in northern Pakistan.
By Francis Ogwo
Source:onemilatatime.com, apnews.com, tribune.com, hindustantimes.com
