Aviation minister claims PIA software follows the Worldwide Civil Aviation Group clearing the airline in a safety audit.
Karachi, Pakistan – Pakistan Worldwide Airlines (PIA), the countrywide flag provider of the South Asian country, expects to restart European flight operations, suspended in 2020 about security concerns, by March, the country’s aviation minister states.
Talking at a press convention in the Pakistani money, Islamabad, on Thursday, Ghulam Sarwar Khan reported the Global Civil Aviation Corporation (ICAO) experienced cleared Pakistani aviation in a basic safety audit executed late previous calendar year, and that PIA experienced used for a resumption of European functions.
Europe’s aviation regulator, the European Union Aviation Safety Company (EASA), suspended flights operated by Pakistani carriers in 2020, subsequent the crash of a PIA Airbus A320 in the southern metropolis of Karachi that killed 97 passengers and triggered a subsequent govt investigation into fraudulent licensing practices.
On Thursday, Aviation Minister Khan mentioned 50 Pakistani pilots’ licences experienced been cancelled adhering to the investigation, with 5 Pakistani Civil Aviation Authority officers fired and billed with fraud.
At least 8 pilots at PIA ended up dismissed in relationship with the investigation, he explained.
“We are hoping that in February or March [PIA flight] operations in Europe will start out again,” he claimed.
In July 2020, an Al Jazeera investigation uncovered widespread allegations of fraud in pilot licensing treatments in Pakistan. Many pilots also expressed concern more than basic safety expectations, with 1 senior pilot describing the circumstance as “a ticking time bomb”.
Pakistan has seen 5 main professional or charter airliner crashes due to the fact 2010, killing at least 445 folks.
The exact period has observed several non-deadly aircraft incidents, like mid-flight engine shutdowns, landing equipment failures, runway overruns and at minimum just one on-the-floor collision, formal stories exhibit.
Thursday’s announcement came a day just after the ICAO gave Pakistan’s civil aviation regulator the all-distinct on resolving substantial protection problems, right after an audit team frequented the region late in 2021.
Khan claimed Pakistan was overhauling its pilot certification approach, signing an settlement with United Kingdom civil aviation authorities for pilots to be certified and examined in conjunction with that agency.
Asad Hashim is Al Jazeera’s electronic correspondent in Pakistan. He tweets @AsadHashim.