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.



Passenger Plane Catches Fire at South Korean Airport. All 176 People on Board Evacuated

FILE PHOTO: A child wearing a face mask to prevent from contracting the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) walks at Incheon International Airport, in Incheon, South Korea, March 25, 2022. REUTERS/Heo Ran
FILE PHOTO: A child wearing a face mask to prevent from contracting the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) walks at Incheon International Airport, in Incheon, South Korea, March 25, 2022. REUTERS/Heo Ran
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Passenger Plane Catches Fire at South Korean Airport. All 176 People on Board Evacuated

FILE PHOTO: A child wearing a face mask to prevent from contracting the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) walks at Incheon International Airport, in Incheon, South Korea, March 25, 2022. REUTERS/Heo Ran
FILE PHOTO: A child wearing a face mask to prevent from contracting the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) walks at Incheon International Airport, in Incheon, South Korea, March 25, 2022. REUTERS/Heo Ran

The tail of a passenger plane with 176 people on board caught fire before takeoff at an airport in South Korea Tuesday night, news reports said. All passengers and crew were safely evacuated.

The Air Busan plane at Gimhae International Airport in the southeastern city of Busan was bound for Hong Kong, Yonhap news agency reported. The 169 passengers and seven crew members were evacuated using an inflatable slide, the report said, adding that three people were injured but their condition wasn’t serious, The AP news reported.

Calls to fire authorities in Busan were unanswered.

In December, a Jeju Air passenger plane crashed at Muan International Airport in southern South Korea, killing all but two of the 181 people on board.

The Boeing 737-800 skidded off the airport's runaway on Dec. 29 after its landing gear failed to deploy, slamming into a concrete structure and bursting into flames. The flight was returning from Bangkok and all of the victims were South Koreans except for two Thai nationals.