KARACHI: The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) on Tuesday, July 14, cleared the licences of 18 Pakistani pilots working for SalamAir after Oman’s civil aviation requested for the verification and clearance of the Pakistani pilots.
The names of the pilots cleared by the CAA Pakistan are Captain Fawad Shahab, Sheikh Saifullah, Mohammad Bilal Malik, Mohammad Javed, and Mohammad Rashid.
Moreover, the licences of Captain Muhammad Athar Iqbal, Muhammad Asif, Farhan Khan, Babar Sultan, Farrukh Bhatti, Sajjad Malik were also cleared, whereas, Captain Zia-ul-Haq, Natasha Sultan, Abbas Rizvi, Omar Jafar, and 3 other captains received clearances from the authority.
Separately, the CAA also cleared three Pakistani pilots associated with Hong Kong airlines after it had asked for clearance of their licenses.
Earlier, the regulatory body had also verified the licences of 48 of the 54 Pakistani pilots working in UAE.
UAE General Civil Aviation Authority Director General Saif Mohammed Al Suwaidi had requested the verification of the credentials of Pakistani pilots, aircraft maintenance engineers, and flight operations officers working in the Middle Eastern country in a June 29 letter to Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority Director General Hassan Nasir Jamy.
According to the Aviation Division, it has cleared licences of 95% Pakistani pilots working with different airlines in seven countries.
The revelation made by Aviation Minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan last month about 262 Pakistani pilots having suspicious credentials is continuing to take its toll with the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) downgrading Pakistan’s air safety rating.
The decision, disclosed on an FAA spreadsheet dated July 15 that was posted on an agency website and confirmed by an agency official, means the US air safety agency determined Pakistan did not achieve international standards and now had a Category 2 rating. The new rating means Pakistan airlines could be subject to additional inspections at US airports and not add additional flights.
According to sources, the aviation regulator of Oman has warned that the PIA could be barred from using its airspace if the Pakistani authorities failed to satisfy it about its measures to ensure the safety of flights in the wake of the suspicious licences controversy.
The aviation authorities of Malaysia and Vietnam have already grounded holders of Pakistani pilot licences working in local airlines. Ethiopian Airlines has also sought an explanation from Pakistan.
The European Union Air Safety Agency (EASA) has suspended PIA’s authorisation to operate in EU member states for six months expressing concerns over the minister’s statement.
Following the EASA’s move, the UK Civil Aviation Authority said it was withdrawing PIA’s permit to operate from three of its airports.
Later, the United States also imposed a ban on flights of the national flag carrier for six months citing dubious licences.
The airline will incur a loss of Rs33 billion because of the ban. It is already facing loss of Rs12 billion because it will not be operating Hajj flights this year. The suspension of flights for Umrah passengers has also affected its revenue.
