Pakistan flag carrier to ground a third of pilots over 'dubious' licences

[snoop1130]

Pakistan flag carrier to ground a third of pilots over 'dubious' licences

By Syed Raza Hassan and Asif Shahzad

 

FILE PHOTO: Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) passenger plane prepares to take off from the Benazir International airport in Islamabad, Pakistan, February 9, 2016. REUTERS/Faisal Mahmood

 

KARACHI, Pakistan (Reuters) - Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) will ground a third of its 434 pilots on suspicion they hold "dubious" licences and flying certificates, a company spokesman said on Thursday.

 

The decision comes as an inquiry into a PIA crash last month, in which 97 people were killed, points to pilots not following procedures, while a government minister said the cockpit voice recorder suggested the pilots were distracted by a conversation about the novel coronavirus.

 

"We've been told that an investigation conducted by the civil aviation authority has found that about 150 of our pilots have dubious licenses," company spokesman Abdullah H. Khan told Reuters.

 

All of the pilots under investigation would be grounded, he said. The PIA has a fleet of 31 aircraft that fly domestic and international routes.

 

Successive governments have tried to overhaul loss-making PIA over the years but with little sign of success.

 

The airline's latest accident came late last month when an Airbus A320 on a domestic flight came down short of the runway in the southern city of Karachi, killing all but two of those aboard.

 

The aviation minister told parliament this week the plane's pilots and air traffic control officers had not followed procedures and the two pilots had been pre-occupied by a discussion of the coronavirus shortly before the crash.

 

The investigation into pilots' qualifications came after a 2018 crash when it was found that the test date on the license of the pilot involved had been a holiday - suggesting it was fake as testing could not have taken place on that day.

 

Another pilot had been out of the country on the date stamped on his flying certificate, Khan said.

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2020-06-25

 

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[damascase]

PIA: Perhaps I Arrive........

[dabhand]

Really shocking sequence of events.

 

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jun/25/pakistan-plane-crashed-after-pilots-distracted-by-coronavirus-fears

[thaiowl]

"Khan also pointed to a troubling review of pilot credentials that is bound to reverberate through the country’s airline industry. He said a probe last year found that 262 of Pakistan’s 860 active pilots had fake licenses or had cheated on exams – including an unspecified number of PIA pilots."

[malathione]

7 minutes ago, damascase said:

PIA: Perhaps I Arrive........

pia.com leads to the parachute industry association...

[xylophone]

5 minutes ago, damascase said:

PIA: Perhaps I Arrive........

In the days when I used to work in the oil industry, I would fly around to many and varied places and use many different airlines, but the one that I (and others in my industry) feared was PIA, which I was told stood for, "Perhaps It'll Arrive".

 

I wasn't aware of any crashes or the like, but that was certainly what it was nicknamed, so never flew on it!
 

[Pilotman]

Pathetically weak  management, no real Regulation in that Country and <deleted> poor pilots.  You couldn't drag me onto one of their death traps. 

[Aussiepeter]

In 1988 whilst posted to the Oz embassy in Saudi Arabia, I heard about a deal where you could fly to any local country for $100 Business Class, if on a Diplomatic Passport, with the Saudi flag carrier. My then girlfriend decided we would go to Egypt to see the pyramids. In Riyadh, then just before take off, the temple music starts and then a good five minutes of prayers in arabic. Bloke next to me said "do they know something about the pilot that we don't know" ? Flight was OK, then on landing in Cairo, even before the seat belt light went to 'off', everyone started cheering and clapping for a good five minutes again. Same bloke next to me said the same thing, again ! Wonder if PIA is the same ?

[farangbaba]

On one PIA flight from Karachi to Islamabad, I was shocked to see an air hostess race down the isle screaming at a lady who was trying to start a primus stove to cook dinner on.

[ravip]

Would these 'pilots' be on-board other airlines with their fake licenses?

 

[ChrisY1]

Quite a remarkable story this is.....I have never thought it possible to have fake pilots on an international airline.

If it's happening in Pakistan, then there must be other cases in other countries.

[Deli]

PIA: Please Inform Allah

A truely terrible airline. Once and never again

[bendejo]

13 hours ago, farangbaba said:

On one PIA flight from Karachi to Islamabad, I was shocked to see an air hostess race down the isle screaming at a lady who was trying to start a primus stove to cook dinner on.

In 1980 (or so) there was a PIA planeload of Hajj pilgrims from Pakistan waiting to take off in Saudi when, yep, some fellow fired up his kerosene stove, which started a fire.  All on board died.  I remember when it happened, details hazy.

 

 

Edited June 26, 2020 by bendejo

[bert bloggs]

When ifirst came to Thailand 26 years ago i used to fly with Biman Bangladesh ,because they were so cheap., you would not believe some of the sights i saw on board and in Dhaka on stopovers ,now i know why people clapped when we landed.

[727Sky]

43 minutes ago, bendejo said:

In 1980 (or so) there was a PIA planeload of Hajj pilgrims from Pakistan waiting to take off in Saudi when, yep, some fellow fired up his kerosene stove, which started a fire.  All on board died.  I remember when it happened, details hazy.

 

 

Same thing happened to a Saudi L-1011. A stove in the back started a fire but the aircraft was landing. They found something like 20 bodies in the cockpit who had been trying to avoid the fire. The crew had killed the electric so the automatic doors would not open. The cockpit has two ropes you can go out the side sliding windows but the crew were to stupid to use them. 

 

The training department for every/any Airline should have detected the idiots with the fake licenses. In the states a written test with 80% passing grade or do over, fail again you are fired. Flight Checks maybe one do over if you fail and then you are fired if you can not preform.

 

At least that is the way it used to be done.... Maybe now they just give participation ribbons to anyone who shows up ??

[dabhand]

46 minutes ago, bendejo said:

In 1980 (or so) there was a PIA planeload of Hajj pilgrims from Pakistan waiting to take off in Saudi when, yep, some fellow fired up his kerosene stove, which started a fire.  All on board died.  I remember when it happened, details hazy.

 

 

That was Saudia flight 163 in August 1980 at Riyadh airport. It had actually taken off on a flight to Jeddah and  fire warnings meant a quick return was needed. This is where it got rather murky as reports have it that, after landing, it was ordered to leave the runway as a royal plane was about to take off. If it had immediately stopped  on landing likely that some, if not all, of the passengers + crew would have survived. As it was, all perished.

 

I recall it well  as I was transferring to  work in Riyadh around that time and actually landed in October 1980. Rumours were rife and the 'royal flight' story was the most plausible.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saudia_Flight_163

[DaLa]

Not only would I avoid at all costs a flight with PIA, I also avoid at any cost travelling with any airline that uses the same corridors.

I believe that some of their pilots learned to ride motor cycles in Thailand and thus don’t believe in u turns, they just approach you at 500 mph in the opposite direction on your side.

[nahkit]

19 minutes ago, bert bloggs said:

When ifirst came to Thailand 26 years ago i used to fly with Biman Bangladesh ,because they were so cheap., you would not believe some of the sights i saw on board and in Dhaka on stopovers ,now i know why people clapped when we landed.

My first flight to Thailand was also with Biman, I remember seeing cows grazing just at the end of the runway at Dhaka and on the flight back a fight broke out between passengers. First and only time I've ever witnessed that on a plane flight.

[nahkit]

2 hours ago, ChrisY1 said:

Quite a remarkable story this is.....I have never thought it possible to have fake pilots on an international airline.

If it's happening in Pakistan, then there must be other cases in other countries.

 

I can remember Libyan Arab Airline being told that their maintenance procedures weren't up to scratch and that also their pilots would need to re-certify before they would be allowed back into European airports. Initially, it was proposed that the pilots would be sent to either Germany or the UK for their re-training but the pilots association refused, saying that training there would be "too difficult" and they wanted to go to Jordan or Egypt.

[Pilotman]

3 hours ago, ravip said:

Would these 'pilots' be on-board other airlines with their fake licenses?

 

No.  Its incredibly, unbelievably weak management that is as much at fault. In my ex airline, the regular check with the Training Captain included a full document check before hand, to ensure that each pilot was up to date on medical, flying qualification, rating and even passport and visas.  It's a standard procedure in any airline that I know of, but clearly not in PIA. 

Edited June 26, 2020 by Pilotman

[George Aylesham]

16 hours ago, damascase said:

PIA: Perhaps I Arrive........

When I lived in Pakistan I was always a trifle worried when a prayer was recited over the pa system each time before takeoff on PIA flights!

[mlmcleod]

16 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

Successive governments have tried to overhaul loss-making PIA over the years but with little sign of success.

 

I guess it is cheaper to hire unlicensed pilots?

[bert bloggs]

1 hour ago, nahkit said:

My first flight to Thailand was also with Biman, I remember seeing cows grazing just at the end of the runway at Dhaka and on the flight back a fight broke out between passengers. First and only time I've ever witnessed that on a plane flight.

seen a couple of fights ,another one was two Russians ,also a sexual assault by a Russian guy , at one time when i had business in BKK i was flying back and for every 6 weeks or so ,usually on cheap airlines ,flew business class on Biman once it was like economy class on easy jet lol.

[jaf3]

they used to be one of the best back in the 60s and 70s......this is what nepotism and corruption leads to

[tomazbodner]

3 hours ago, bendejo said:

In 1980 (or so) there was a PIA planeload of Hajj pilgrims from Pakistan waiting to take off in Saudi when, yep, some fellow fired up his kerosene stove, which started a fire.  All on board died.  I remember when it happened, details hazy.

 

 

There's a site about it:

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pakistan_International_Airlines_Flight_740

 

[digger70]

18 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

Pakistan flag carrier to ground a third of pilots over 'dubious' licences

Wow, I wonder if that happens in Other countries to  .

That's a good reason to Redo their Exam and Tests. If they pass ok if not ,on ya bike.  

[PETERTHEEATER]

4 hours ago, bendejo said:

In 1980 (or so) there was a PIA planeload of Hajj pilgrims from Pakistan waiting to take off in Saudi when, yep, some fellow fired up his kerosene stove, which started a fire.  All on board died.  I remember when it happened, details hazy.

 

 

No, that was a Saudi Arabian Airlines aircraft at Riyadh. Give credit where it's due. ????

 

[Daffy D]

I am slowly working my way through the series "Mayday (Air Crash Investigation)".

 

There are a total of 20 series with an average of 10 episodes in each series. Each episode details an airplane crash, how it happened and why it happened, that's a lot of crashes in the last 40 years or so.

 

Most of the crashes were found to be pilot error and/or poor maintenance. These are mostly from 1st world airlines with fully trained pilots and maintenance staff, yet put them all together that's a lot of crashes by what one would consider professional airlines.

 

Who was it that said this was the safest form of travel?  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

[Pique Dard]

PAL = (Philippines Airways) aka Planes Always Late.
i flew twice with them and each time the plane was delayed for at least one hour.

PIA = (Pakistan International Airlines) aka Perhaps I'll Arrive.

well, i'm not suicidal so i'll never fly with them!

 

 

 

 

 

Edited June 26, 2020 by Pique Dard

[Pilotman]

5 hours ago, jaf3 said:

they used to be one of the best back in the 60s and 70s......this is what nepotism and corruption leads to

They, have never been any good, ever.