European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has directed its 32 member states to bar Pakistani pilots from flight operations with immediate effect.
The development follows the revelation made by Minister for Aviation, Ghulam Sarwar Khan, in the National Assembly while presenting the investigation report of PIA’s PK-8303 crash regarding the fake licenses possessed by most of the national carrier’s pilots.
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In an official letter to all its member countries, EASA states:
A sizable portion (approximately 40%) of airline pilot licenses issued by the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (PCCA) are either falsified and or otherwise not International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) compliant.
EASA has recommended all members to suspend all the validations issued to Pakistani pilots and apprise the PCAA about the decision.
Previously, EASA had suspended the PIA’s authorization to operate in European Union member countries for the next 6 months.
