PIA pilot pleads guilty before UK magistrate. PHOTO: FILE.
The Pakistan International Airlines’ (PIA) pilot arrested in England for trying to board a flight under the influence of alcohol pleaded guilty on Friday before a Leeds magistrate, officials said.
Co-pilot Irfan Faiz Chishti has been sent on remand till October 14 and awaits trial, which could land him in jail for up to two years.
According to reports, the alcohol content in the pilot’s blood sample was found to be four times over the legal limit. In England, the legal alcohol limit is 20 milligrams in 100ml of blood – a quarter of that for car drivers.
A PIA spokesman said that the family of the pilot hasn’t approached the airline for help.
“In any case, we have made it clear that we won’t provide any legal assistance to employees involved in such misconduct,” the spokesman said.
Pakistan Airlines Pilots’ Association (PALPA) has also distanced itself from the issue, insisting that disciplinary action must be taken against such employees.
Irfan Chishti was one of the two pilots to fly flight PK-776 with 180 passengers on board from Leeds-Bradford International Airport to Islamabad.
As the pilot checked in with small luggage, an airport official at the airport caught a whiff of alcohol. He alerted security officials who “literally sniffed him from up close for verification,” said one his associates. “Then upon further examination it became obvious,” the associate added.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 21st, 2013.
COMMENTS (13)
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@Aamir: The pilot was questioned sometime ago when he tried to operate an ATR aircraft while under being under the influence of alcohol. He is still working for PIA! Why? Whether it is PIA or his army background needs to be investigated. Questions will be raised and it is right to question!
@Ahmed: Criticize army for its wrong doings (and there is a long list of it) not for the wrong doings of a drunk pilot of PIA..criticism should be positive and constructive, not for the sake of it,,
Once he is sentenced then I would like to know what "disciplinary" action PIA takes? Because of this man PIA and its standard passenger suffered and bad rap that PIA received is not easy to repair. So what are the disciplinary action and do they take into account seriousness of this issue? What about action against those who let this man go free 1st time?
"...(PIA) pilot arrested in England for trying to board a flight under the influence of alcohol pleaded guilty on Friday before a Leeds magistrate, officials said."
At least he immediately admitted to his guilt. He did put hundreds of lives at risk but did not kill anyone. This can't be said of some other inhabitants of UK!
@Aamir: You are right. Army is unnecessarily being dragged in this incident. Sons and relatives of Senior Army officers do not get privileged positions in Governmental departments in our country; they get selected on their own merits and qualifications. Even if they do in rare instances, so what? Other Senior Government officials' progeny does too.
@Aamir: (My apologies for digressing a little bit but not really) And why not? These "tom dicks and harrys" you refer are citizens of Pakistan and basically pay for the army (their businesses excluded!)! Is the army beyond any criticism? Treating army as divine and beyond any criticism is one of the main problems of this county.
@Uzair: We all know such things never happen to Army men, their sons, daughters, wives, friends, nephews, nieces, aunts, uncles, fathers, grand fathers, great grand fathers, great great great grand fathers, etc…! what happened to arsalan iftikhars? what happened to shah rukh jatoi.. what happened to mumtaz qadri.. what happened to daughter of shahbaz sharif for beating a poor baker,, Is any thing happened to those who killed Lt Col Haroon and capt salman out side Lal Masjid,, however Mush is convicted for Lal Masjid,,, Is anything happened to killers of Murtaza Bhutto,, Mush is convicted for BB murder and peace talks are offrered to our national hero Hakimullah,,
@Uzair: what is the name of the father,,, or you just roping in Army into a PIA affair... It is fashion to talk against army now by all toms dicks harrys,,,
PIA should realize that this Pilot is son of a senior Army General, hence PIA should not issue statements like "we have made it clear that we won’t provide any legal assistance to employees involved in such misconduct". We all know such things never happen to Army men, their sons, daughters, wives, friends, nephews, nieces, aunts, uncles, fathers, grand fathers, great grand fathers, great great great grand fathers, etc...!! You will soon hear that this pilot will be back in action and flying PIA plane around the world!!!
Why is ET insisting on calling him co-pilot?
Well... We all should request UK government to punish this person severley. Otherwise, if comes to Pakistan, he won,t get punishment.
Please Courts of U.K, we beg you, sentence him to severe punishment and put him behind bars, and of course cancel his pilot license forever. Please dont let this man who was about to gamble with the lives of hundreds, escape to Pakistan. because if he does get back to Pakistan, he will hire a fancy lawyer, and most probably our Judiciary will let him go, as they let go of every terrorist, every and any person who is a threat to us, our judiciary lets go free. please dont let this criminal back into Pakistan.
Great people to fly with! These people should be kicked off; their act badly damaged the residual reputation of PIA. In PPP tenure hundreds of jiyalas were inducted on political basis. They have almost killed PIA. Senate told that PIA's accumulated losses soar to Rs 169 billion. Now who is going to pay 169 billion, PPP (Provincial Political Party) or general public?