EU bans two Pakistani airlines in wake of pilot licence scandal

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The European Aviation Safety Agency has withdrawn the operating licences of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) and Vision Air International after an investigation established that over a quarter of the country’s licensed pilots may have illegally acquired their credentials, reports Euractiv. The investigation followed the May crash of an airliner near Karachi in which 97 people died. The ban will last for six months. “PIA announced last week it would ground 150 of its 434 pilots after a national investigation discovered widespread exam fraud. According to the Asian country’s aviation minister, 262 of Pakistan’s 860 active licence holders may have obtained their credentials by cheating or paying other people to sit examinations in their stead.”