PIA suspended in Europe over fake pilot licence scam
Regulators have barred Pakistan International Airlines from the European Union for six months after the state-run carrier grounded nearly a third of its pilots for holding fake or dubious licences, officials said. The EU Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) told PIA "it is still not sure" if all the remaining pilots are properly qualified, and "they have lost their confidence" in the airline, PIA spokesman Abdullah Khan told AFP. The suspension is the latest fallout for PIA after Pakistan's aviation minister told parliament last week that a government review had found 262 of the country's 860 active pilots hold fake licenses or cheated on exams. More than half of them were from PIA, and the airline said it would immediately ground 141 of its 434 pilots. PIA is filing an appeal, Khan said. Flights to Britain, which is no longer in the EU, have also been suspended, Khan said.
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