US Bans Pakistan International Airlines over Fake Pilot Licence Scandal

In June, Pakistan International Airlines grounded about a third of its pilots over fake or dubious licences. AFP
In June, Pakistan International Airlines grounded about a third of its pilots over fake or dubious licences. AFP
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US Bans Pakistan International Airlines over Fake Pilot Licence Scandal

In June, Pakistan International Airlines grounded about a third of its pilots over fake or dubious licences. AFP
In June, Pakistan International Airlines grounded about a third of its pilots over fake or dubious licences. AFP

The United States has banned Pakistan International Airlines from operating chartered flights to the country, the airline said,.

The decision came after it announced that nearly 150 pilots would be grounded over fake or dubious licences.

This also comes after European Union aviation regulators decided to bar the state-run carrier for six months.

PIA said in a statement that the Federal Aviation Authority in the US had revoked approval for the airline due to "recent events identified by the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority that are of serious concern to aviation safety," according to AFP.

In June, Pakistan's aviation minister said that a government review had found around 260 of the country's 860 active pilots hold fake licenses or cheated on exams.

PIA at the time said it would immediately ground about a third of its 434 pilots, just weeks after one of its planes crashed in Karachi killing 98 people -- an accident blamed on pilot error.

So far 17 pilots have been fired in the first phase of its investigation, a PIA spokesman told AFP.

The airline had suspended its commercial operations to the US in 2017 after booking financial losses on the route.



Zelenskiy Says Ukraine Has Evidence of China Supplying Russia with Artillery

 Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy speaks at a press conference with Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever (not pictured) in Kyiv, Ukraine April 8, 2025. (Reuters)
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy speaks at a press conference with Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever (not pictured) in Kyiv, Ukraine April 8, 2025. (Reuters)
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Zelenskiy Says Ukraine Has Evidence of China Supplying Russia with Artillery

 Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy speaks at a press conference with Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever (not pictured) in Kyiv, Ukraine April 8, 2025. (Reuters)
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy speaks at a press conference with Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever (not pictured) in Kyiv, Ukraine April 8, 2025. (Reuters)

Ukraine has intelligence which shows China is supplying artillery and gunpowder to Russia, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Thursday.

"We believe that Chinese representatives are engaged in the production of some weapons on the territory of Russia," he told a press conference in Kyiv. Zelenskiy did not specify whether he meant artillery systems or shells.

The allegation is likely to upend relations between Kyiv and Beijing, already strained by Ukraine's making public its capture of Chinese nationals fighting for Russia. China has so far tried to maintain an outward perception of neutrality in the three-year war prompted by Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Ukraine has previously called on China to use its influence over Russia to push it towards peace.

"We already have facts about this work by China and Russia to strengthen their defense capabilities," Zelenskiy said, voicing his dismay as he said Chinese President Xi Jinping had promised him Beijing would not sell or supply weapons to Moscow.