All PIA license is genuine, says CAA
KARACHI: In what appears to be an immediate contradiction to the aviation minister’s allegation that nearly 40 percent of Pakistani pilots possessed ‘fake licenses’, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has said that each one commercial/airline transport pilots licenses (CPL/ATPL) it issued “are genuine and validly issued”.
“It is vital to clarify that each one CPL/ATPL pilot licenses issued by the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority are genuine and validly issued. None of the pilot licenses are fake, rather the matter has been misconstrued and incorrectly highlighted within the media/social media,” wrote CAA Director General Hassan Nasir Jamy during a letter dated July 13 to a high-ranking aviation official of Oman.
The letter, a replica of which is provided to Dawn, was addressed to Mubarak Saleh Al Ghailani, the acting DG of Civil Aviation Regulation, Muscat, Sultanate of Oman, in response to his July 2 letter and July 9 email concerning safety concerns over licenses of Pakistani pilots working together with his country’s airline.
Mr. Jamy, who is additionally the secretary of aviation division, told the Omani official that the CAA had already verified/cleared “96 Pakistani pilots out of 104 names received from various civil aviation authorities/foreign airlines (UAE/GACA, Vietnam Airlines, Bahrain Air, Civil Aviation Malaysia, Hong Kong Civil Aviation Department, and Turkish Airlines)”.
Regulator’s confirmation contradicts aviation minister’s claim about ‘fake licenses’; Palpa terms development an endorsement of its stance
Last month, while furnishing before the National Assembly a preliminary report on the May 22 Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) plane crash in Karachi, Aviation Minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan had claimed that 40 percent of the country’s pilots held “fake licenses”.
He later said that 262 airlines’ pilots had falsified their credentials and of them, 141 belonged to the PIA, nine from Air Blue, and 10 from Serene Air. The remaining pilots were affiliated with flying clubs, chartered plane services, or foreign airlines, he said.
The CAA suspended the licenses of only 34 pilots of the PIA and issued them a show-cause notice to elucidate on how they performed flying duty and appeared during a written exam on the same date.
However, Mr. Jamy tried to downplay the damning statement of the aviation minister when he stated in his letter that “some concerns” were raised about the validity of the licenses of “some pilots”. “The federal immediately took notice and embarked upon the method of verifying the credentials of all licensed pilots through forensic scrutiny,” he stated.
“During this process, it occurred that there have been discrepancies concerning the computer-based examination, which is one among the steps within the licensing process. Immediately upon completion of the method, the pilots falling during this category were treated as ‘suspects’ till clearance. They began from flying duties, if any, and were grounded pending formal process, after providing the opportunity to elucidate their position,” he explained.
“Pakistan has always maintained a robust regulatory oversight mechanism for the safety of skies everywhere. it's been ensured that only those pilots and aircrew with valid qualifications, credentials, and unblemished record shall be allowed to fly. I hope this letter is convincing evidence of Pakistan’s continued commitment to aviation safety. it's highlighted that as a responsible regulator we've voluntarily raised the topic matter,” Mr. Jamy added.
A CAA official said that several similar letters were written to civil aviation authorities and airlines of various countries to regulate the damage the aviation minister’s statement had caused.
Palpa stance vindicated
The Pakistan Airlines Pilots Association (Palpa) said on Wednesday that the CAA’s letter during which it admitted that the ATPL license of any pilot in Pakistan was neither dubious nor fake was an endorsement of their stance.
“The whole episode has caused damage to the reputation of the state, its airline and its pilots worldwide,” Palpa secretary Imran Narejo said during a statement.
He said the difficulty of licenses had been mishandled by the aviation minister, PIA management, and CAA, which proved very damaging for the pilots of the national airline also as others performing at the international level.
The issue of ‘fake’ licenses drew world attention after the aviation minister’s statement last month and therefore the European Union Air Safety Agency suspended PIA authorization to work to the EU member states for 6 months, while the International air transportation Association (IATA) also shared its concern over the intense lapse within the licensing and safety oversight by the aviation regulator.
The US Department of Transportation had also revoked permission for the PIA to conduct charter flights to us.
According to Reuters, the US Federal Aviation Administration also downgraded Pakistan’s air safety rating after the agency raised concerns about pilot certifications.
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