It is probably best for airline pilots to have real licenses.
An international airline has been banned from operating in the United States and the United Kingdom. The decision comes after it was discovered that a significant percentage of the airline’s pilots could fly with fake or counterfeit licenses.
The US Department of Transportation has suspended Pakistan International Airline’s authorization to operate to US destinations, Forbes reports. The airline was reportedly informed of the suspension on July 1, the same day the European Union Aviation Safety Agency began applying a ban to the airline from its airspace.
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According to Forbes, PIA issued a statement saying: “EASA has temporarily suspended PIA’s authorization to operate in EU member states for a period of six months from July 1, 2020, with the right to appeal against this decision”.
Fox News previously reported that Pakistan’s state airline had punished at least 150 of its pilots after accusing them of cheating to obtain their licenses. Specifically, the airline believed that these pilots had other people who tested them.
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The problems were uncovered after an investigation into a fatal accident that killed 97 people in Karachi in May.
When the announcement was made of the grounding of the pilots, Abdullah Hafeez, a PIA spokesman, said: “We will ensure that such unskilled pilots never fly planes again.”
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However, some believed that the situation could be worse. Pakistan’s aviation minister Ghulam Sarqar Khan had previously stated that 262 of the 860 pilots had “false” licenses.
Forbes reports that investigations into the airline’s pilots continue.