— Pilots question govt list of ‘dubious’ pilots, state it’s full of disparities

BRUSSELS: The European Union Air Safety Company (EASA) has actually suspended the authorisation for the Pakistan International Airline Companies (PIA) to run in Europe for 6 months, the airline company’s representative stated on Tuesday.

The relocation follows the grounding of 262 pilots whose licences the Air travel Minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan described “dubious”.

“EASA has temporarily suspended PIA’s authorisation to operate to the EU member states for a period of 6 months effective July 1, 2020, with the right to appeal against this decision,” a PIA declaration stated.

It added that PIA would cease all its flights to Europe briefly.

On the other hand, airline company pilots and their union have actually raised concerns about a federal government list of 262 pilots with “dubious” qualifications, stating it is full of disparities.

Air Travel Minister Ghulam Sarwar had previously stated the pilots consisted of 141 from Pakistan International Airline Companies (PIA), 9 from Air Blue, 10 from Serene Airline Company, and 17 from Shaheen Airlines.

Once the airline companies got it,

The PIA stated the list revealed disparities. Thirty-six of the 141 retired either had or left, it stated. Air Blue stated 7 of the pilots on the list no longer worked for the airline company.

The pilots and their union have actually turned down the list and required a judicial examination.

“We don’t have full details of the discrepancies with us,” stated Abdul Sattar Khokhar, a spokesperson of the Civil Air Travel Authority. “The issue is being sorted out in consultation with airlines and civil aviation authorities.”

The Pakistan Airlines Pilots Association (PALPA) has actually likewise raised doubts about the list.

“It contains names of highly educated and qualified pilots who have passed all the tests,” its president, Chaudhry Salman, informed Reuters. “We want a fair and impartial resolution to this matter.”

The action on the “dubious” licences was triggered by the initial report on an airliner crash in Karachi that eliminated 97 people last month. It discovered the aircraft’s pilots stopped working to follow standard operating procedures and overlooked alarms.

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