Last Updated on July 11, 2020, 6:22 AM AST by Anthony Morris
The U.S. has revoked permission for the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) of conducting charter flights to the United States, and cited the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) concerns regarding the certifications of Pakistani pilots, said the U.S. Department of Transportation.
This information is contained in revocation of a special authorisation which is dated July 1 and was provided by the Department to Reuters on Friday.
Last month Pakistan grounded almost a third of its pilots after it was discovered that they might have falsified their qualifications.
The European Union Aviation Safety Agency has also suspended the authorisation of Pakistan International Airlines to fly to the bloc for the next six months and delivered a blow to the operations of the carrier.
PIA did not immediately give a comment outside the normal business hours.
Pakistan’s Geo News reported that the PIA had confirmed the ban imposed by the US and has said that it would address the concerns through corrective measures which are ongoing within the airline.
Grounding of pilots with false credentials followed the crash of a PIA jet in the month of May this year which killed 97 people.
Anthony Morris covers stories related to politics and regional developments. His in-depth reporting about governance and reforms makes him stand out in regional journalism, with a deep analysis of political trends and their impact on Caribbean communities.
