Flight ban due to fake pilots caused PKR 7.9b loss: Pak aviation ministry

The fake pilots' case in Pakistan, which resulted in the closure of flights, has caused the country a loss of PKR 7.9 billion in the last six months, reported The Express Tribune.

The upper house of parliament was informed on Thursday by the country's aviation ministry that Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) had incurred a huge loss due to the fake license case. The PIA incurred an estimated deficit of PKR 7.9 billion.

Last year, it was revealed that over 200 hundred pilots in Pakistan were holding fake licenses as they never appeared for exams personally. The disclosure was part of the results of the probe done on the plane crash in Karachi.

In response to supplementary questions during the Question Hour, federal aviation minister Sarwar Khan said that flights to Italy, Spain, Norway, Denmark, the United Kingdom and France were suspended from June 30, 2020, following a statement regarding a fake pilot case.

The minister said that as many as 700 employees of the PIA who were inducted on fake degrees and political ground during the tenures of the past governments have been terminated so far.

He also informed that restrictions on the PIA flight operations to the European countries would be lifted after International Civil Aviation Organization's safety audit in October or November this year.

Earlier this year, five officers of the Pakistan Aviation Authority were arrested for issuing fake licenses to 40 pilots in Sindh.

Munir Sheikh, Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) director, was quoted as saying by Samaa TV that a written complaint was sent to the agency saying fake Commercial Pilot and Air Transport Pilot licenses were being issued.

According to the complaint, the pilots were appointed on the basis of "fake pilot license exams" conducted on holidays, weekends and even after office hours.

Cases have been registered against 49 people, including 40 pilots and eight officials of the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), Samaa TV reported.

( With inputs from ANI )

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