Sarwar revealed in Parliament that 150 pilots working for the national carrier have ‘dubious licenses’
ISLAMABAD:
The National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Aviation on Monday held former aviation minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan responsible for the financial woes of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) and the ban imposed on it by several countries, including the US and UK.
In a meeting chaired by Syed Mobeen Ahmed, members of the Committee lamented that the national carrier must have suffered “irreparable damage” due to the former federal minister’s statement in the National Assembly.
Recalling the state entity’s ongoing problems with the former minister’s “thoughtlessness” and “disrespect for national interests,” the panel said the speech “broke the backbone of a national institution.”
PIA landed in hot water following the crash of its flight PK-8303 in Karachi on May 22, 2020, and the subsequent announcement by then Aviation Minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan to ground 262 airline pilots suspected of evading exams.
Sarwar revealed in Parliament that 150 pilots working for the national carrier have “dubious licenses.”
During Monday’s meeting, the Committee expressed concern over fake pilot titles as it bemoaned the “bad reputation” that crippled its flight operations to Europe.
The Committee directed the aviation ministry to submit a detailed report on air traffic in Europe in the next meeting.
Meanwhile, the Committee also directed the Ministry to submit a report regarding the Boing-777 aircraft impounded at the Kuala Lumpur airport in Malaysia for non-payment of aircraft lease fees.
The panel was briefed on an incident earlier this year where the captain of Islamabad-bound PIA flight PK-368 allowed a passenger to sit in the cockpit for a considerable period, endangering the safety of all passengers.
However, officials representing the national airlines told the committee members that the passenger in question was, in fact, a PIA employee who was eligible and authorized to travel in the cockpit by the captain following Sections 14.1.2 and 14.3.2 of the Operations Manual (OMA) of the Pakistan Authority for civil aviation.
He stated that no national or international rules were violated at the said event. The Committee, therefore, abandoned the meeting agenda.
Earlier, the Committee was given a briefing by the Secretariat of the Ministry of Aviation on the work and functioning of the Ministry of Aviation and its affiliated departments.
He informed the Committee that the Ministry’s vision is to promote and regulate civil aviation activities and develop infrastructure for safe, secure, efficient adequate, economical, and well-coordinated civil aviation in Pakistan.
The three main drivers of control to achieve this vision are strategy, policy, and oversight. Within the broad basic outline of their plan, the National Aviation Policy 2019 has emerged as a springboard for progress in aviation. He said aviation became an independent division under the Cabinet Secretariat in June 2013 and became a ministry on April 19, 2022.
The Ministry spearheads the strategy, policy, and oversight of all civil aviation-related matters of the Airport Security Force (ASF), Pakistan Meteorological Department, Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), and Pakistan International Airlines.
He further informed that the primary function of the Ministry is to regulate and organize the safety of air traffic and the provision of airports. The Ministry also cooperates with the International Civil Aviation Organization and other international organizations.
