Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Air Marshal Arshad Malik told the media on Thursday that the national flag-carrier is still recovering from the loss incurred by Federal Minister for Aviation Ghulam Sarwar’s statement, following the signing of a state airline agreement with a private company.
The problem arose following a PIA airline crash in Karachi, which claimed the lives of 97 passengers and crew members.
While no pilots aboard the ill-fated plane had fraudulent licences, a month later, a federal minister told the National Assembly (NA) that 262 of Pakistan’s 860 pilots did not take their tests personally, but had someone else do it for them.
People with phoney degrees, he argued, were appointed for political reasons.
Malik pointed out on Thursday how the minister’s statement resulted in the state airline being banned in a number of nations.
He expressed his disappointment that no action has been taken against individuals who issued the forged certificates to pilots.
