Pakistan International Airlines has grounded a third of its pilots over "dubious licenses."- More than 30% of commercial airline pilots in Pakistan have fake licenses, the country's aviation minister said this week.
- The shocking revelation came as a preliminary official report blamed pilot error for a crash in May that killed 98 people near Karachi.
- Pakistan's aviation minister said the pilot and the co-pilot were "not focused" because "they were having a conversation about corona."
On Thursday, Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), the nation's flag carrier, grounded 150 of its 434 pilots, whom it said had "dubious licenses."
It came as the Pakistani airline industry is under intense scrutiny after the country's aviation minister told parliament that 30% of the pilots in the country have fake qualifications or cheated in their exams.
Corrupt practices relating to pilot qualifications were highlighted in a preliminary government report, published this week, into a Karachi crash in May which killed 98 people.
PIA's mass dismissal came after earlier dismissing six pilots with fake degrees, according to Geo News, a Pakistani
In a statement posted to Twitter, the airline said: "Dubious licenses do not pertain to PIA alone. Let it be on record, these licenses were issued by the competent authority and were valid as per their record."
—PIA (@Official_PIA) June 25, 2020
International aviation authorities have also expressed concern at the situation in Pakistan.
A spokesman for the International Air Transport Association (IATA) told Reuters. "We are following reports from Pakistan regarding fake pilot licenses, which are concerning and represent a serious lapse in the licensing and safety oversight by the aviation regulator."
Pakistan's investigations into pilot qualifications began after a 2018 crash, according to Reuters. It found a pilot had been on vacation on the test date on his license, suggesting strongly that it was fake.
Another pilot had been out of the country on the date stamped on his flying certificate.
According to the preliminary report on the Karachi crash in May, the PIA pilots made a series of errors while attempting to land, which included failing to lower the landing gear.
The Airbus A320 was traveling from the eastern city of Lahore to Karachi when it crashed into residential buildings while attempting to land, killing all but two people on board. A child on the ground was also killed.
Many passengers on the flight were heading to Karachi to spend the Eid al-Fitr holiday with family, having been in lockdown for two months because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Ghulam Sarwar Khan, Pakistan's aviation minister, told parliament on Wednesday that the plane was at more than twice the correct altitude when it first approached the runway.
Despite warnings given by air traffic controllers to circle for a more gradual descent, Khan said, the pilots attempted to land anyway. He said that in the process they forgot to lower the landing gear.
Khan said that as the plane approached, its engines scraped the runway, creating flashes of sparks, He said that air traffic control saw this but did not tell the cockpit.
The engines were severely damaged from the impact, causing them to fail as the pilots attempted a second landing, Khan said. The plane then crashed into a nearby residential area.
Khan said: "The pilot and co-pilot were not focused, and throughout, they were having a conversation about corona. The [virus] was on their minds. Their families were affected and they were having a discussion about it."
"When the control tower told the pilot about the plane's dangerous height, the pilot said 'I'll manage,' and the pilots started discussing coronavirus again," he said. "There was overconfidence."
The pilot, Captain Sajjad Gul, was very experienced, Khan said. He said the aircraft had no faults and was "100% fit for flying."
"The crash was Pakistan's deadliest aviation accident in eight years. It damaged 29 houses, but the minister promised the government would compensate the residents for their losses.
A spokesman for the Pakistan Airline Pilots Association called the report's findings "mind-boggling," according to the Guardian."How could it happen? It just baffles me," he said. "The greatest pilots with the best records have made mistakes. Humans make mistakes."
A full report, which will include a more in-depth analysis of the wreckage, is expected to be released at the end of the year.
Read more:
- A new social distancing-friendly airplane seat design would strap barriers to middle seats to divide the window and aisle passengers
- FAA issues warning to airlines after a spike of in-flight incidents due to rusty pilots flying emptier planes than usual due to coronavirus
- An airline pilot reveals the meanings of 24 code words passengers don't understand
- I've taken over 100 flights in the past 2 years. Here's how I'll travel on planes differently when I'm able to do so again