PIA yet to recover from fake licences fiasco: CEO

After the signing of the state airline’s agreement with a private company, Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Air Marshal Arshad Malik on Thursday told the media that national flag-carrier is yet to recover from the loss incurred by Federal Minister for Aviation Ghulam Sarwar’s statement.

The issue started in the aftermath of a PIA plane crash in Karachi, which led to the deaths of 97 passengers and crew members. While no pilots of the ill-fated aircraft had fake licences, the federal minister told the National Assembly (NA) a month later that 262 of 860 pilots in Pakistan did not sit in their exams themselves, rather they had someone else take the test for them. He claimed that people with fake degrees were appointed on political basis.

On Thursday, Malik highlighted how the minister’s statement led to the state airline being banned in many countries.

He deplored that no action has been taken against those who issued the fake degrees to pilots.

Speaking about PIA’s future strategy, the CEO said that the national flag-carrier is trying to reduce its deficit by finding new routes. He added that international and domestic routes are being expanded.

He also spoke about reforms, including the introduction of new aircraft to the state airline’s fleet. He added that four new aircraft would be added on dry lease.

Read: PIA announces direct flights to Baku

He said that international auditors would complete their audit by the end of March. He added that they were hopeful that the ban imposed by the European Union (EU) would be lifted as well.

It is worth mentioning here that last month the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) concluded that Pakistan had resolved significant safety concerns. However, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) refused to lift the ban imposed on the state airline, saying that it was important to address the overall oversight capacity of the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (PCCA).

During his media talk, Malik highlighted that Kuwait had suspended PIA’s flights while it continued to do business from Pakistan, however, the issue was resolved through talks.

The CEO also spoke about the upcoming launch of flight operations to Baku, Azerbaijan and Australia. He also warned of an increase in the airline’s fares due to rising oil prices in the global market.