Vietnam says all its Pakistani pilots have valid licences

Published July 18, 2020
Vietnam had licensed 27 Pakistani pilots and 12 of them were still active. — AFP/File
Vietnam had licensed 27 Pakistani pilots and 12 of them were still active. — AFP/File

All Pakistani pilots working for Vietnamese airlines have valid and legitimate licences and none have been involved in a flight incident or safety threat, the government said on Saturday.

Vietnam last month grounded all Pakistani pilots working for local airlines amid concern from global regulators that some pilots may have been using dubious licences.

“All licences administered by the Pakistani aviation regulator are legitimate and valid. There are no fake licences, as mentioned by the media,” a government statement said, citing a note from the Pakistani embassy to the Vietnamese government.

Vietnam had licensed 27 Pakistani pilots and 12 of them were still active. The other 15 pilots’ contracts had expired or were inactive due to the coronavirus pandemic, according to Vietnam’s Civil Aviation Authority.

Read: Is there any valid explanation for our aviation mess?

The issue of ‘dubious’ licences drew global attention after Aviation Minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan revealed in the National Assembly that there were 860 active pilots in the country and 260 pilots had not sat their exams themselves and almost 40 per cent of the pilots had fake or improper licences and did not have flying experience.

After the aviation crisis emerged, the civil aviation authorities of different countries including Malaysia, Vietnam, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Bahrain and Qatar formally contacted Pakistan to verify if the commercial pilot licences (CPL)/airline transport pilot licences (ATPL) issued by the CAA are genuine and validly issued.

Some countries expressed concern over the pilot licencing issue and asked Pakistani authorities to inform them what measures had been taken to ensure all civilian pilots are properly licensed and trained according to ICAO regulations.

Last week, the Aviation Division had cleared 95 per cent licences of Pakistani pilots serving in different airlines in seven countries and said that the process of verification of the remaining would be completed this week.

Opinion

Editorial

Counterterrorism plan
Updated 23 Nov, 2024

Counterterrorism plan

Lacunae in our counterterrorism efforts need to be plugged quickly.
Bullish stock market
23 Nov, 2024

Bullish stock market

NORMALLY, stock markets rise gradually. In recent months, however, Pakistan’s stock market has soared to one ...
Political misstep
23 Nov, 2024

Political misstep

FORMER first lady Bushra Bibi’s video address to PTI followers has triggered a firestorm. Her assertion implying...
Kurram atrocity
Updated 22 Nov, 2024

Kurram atrocity

It would be a monumental mistake for the state to continue ignoring the violence in Kurram.
Persistent grip
22 Nov, 2024

Persistent grip

An audit of polio funds at federal and provincial levels is sorely needed, with obstacles hindering eradication efforts targeted.
Green transport
22 Nov, 2024

Green transport

THE government has taken a commendable step by announcing a New Energy Vehicle policy aiming to ensure that by 2030,...