Pakistan Aviation Industry In Crisis, All Pilots Of Flag Carrier To Resign After Salary Cut - Report

Aviation Minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan had claimed on the floor of the National Assembly that 40 percent of the PIA pilots had dubious licences, reports IANS.

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All of the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) pilots intended to leave the national carrier, according to Khaqan Murtaza, Director General (DG) of Pakistan's Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), who testified before a Senate committee. According to the DG, around 35% of the pilots' earnings were taxed, as he explained before the Senate Standing Committee on Aviation, according to The Express Tribune. He continued by saying that in addition, a charge was also levied on pilots' flying time.

"Most of the times you hear about flight cancellations, the reason for this is the shortage of pilots," he said. Senator Mohsin Aziz, a member of the panel, inquired that the PIA would ever turn profitable in their lifetimes.

PIA CEO Air Vice Marshal Muhammad Amir Hayat replied that the national carrier was making an operational profit, The Express Tribune reported. Senator Aziz told him to inform the panel about the overall profit of the airline, and not just that of its operation. The PIA CEO then switched to the subject of pilots` licences. He said there were 141 pilots with questionable licences, adding that 69 of them had been cleared.

The DG told the panel that action was being taken against those who had acquired fake licences as well as those who assisted them. He continued that the issue was blown out of proportion when former Aviation Minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan had claimed on the floor of the National Assembly that 40 percent of the PIA pilots had dubious licences, The Express Tribune reported.

With IANS Inputs