After an investigation following the Karachi air disaster in May early a quarter of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) pilots have been found to hold fraudulent licences.
The Pakistan flag carrier has now been banned from operating in both the US and the UK and some 150 pilots were suspended as investigations continue, according to a report by Forbes.
The letter from Easa to PIA read: “There are strong indications that a high number of Pakistani pilots’ licences are invalid. PIA persists in failing to demonstrate compliance with the applicable standards.”
PIA Airbus 320 was on a scheduled flight from Lahore to Karachi on 22 May when 97 passengers and crew died after a botched “go-around” that damaged the plane on its first attempt at landing.
The preliminary report found the captain and first officer disregarded standard procedures and ignored alarms, this followed two other fatal events in the past six years.
