Because of the suspicion of rigging their testimonies, Pakistan details 262 pilots

The Pakistani Minister of Aviation said Friday that his country has expelled 262 pilots whose testimonies may have been forged.

Ghulam Sarwar Khan added that the pilots included 141 from Pakistan International Airlines, nine from Air Blue and 10 from Sirin Airlines.

He pointed out that the rest belonged to flying clubs or charter services, and said that all airline companies and clubs were informed that "their credentials are questionable and they should not be allowed to fly."

The Pakistani minister said that the authorities have been investigating for years for collusion between pilots and civil aviation officials to circumvent the exams.

He added that all of these pilots were accused of bringing those who performed one or more of the exams instead of them, and that pilots sometimes came by those who performed the eight exams required to award the pilot’s certificate.

Khan said the goal of the purge was to make Pakistan's air transport industry reliable. "I think this will help reassure international organizations that we have corrected our mistakes," he said.

He added that it had already been confirmed that 28 of the pilots had obtained their qualifications illegally and that they would face criminal charges, and added that at least five civil aviation officials had been suspended from work and their trial was being considered.

On Thursday, the state-owned Pakistan International Airlines, which belongs to the plane, said it would separate pilots with questionable qualifications.

Plane crash
Earlier, an initial report on the Airbus plane crash in southern Pakistan last month revealed that the accident - which had killed 97 people, was caused by a human error of the two pilots who were discussing the recent developments of the Coved 19-pandemic.

The plane, which belongs to Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), crashed over a group of houses as it approached Karachi Airport (the largest city in southern Pakistan) on May 22. The accident killed all the passengers on the plane, with the exception of only two people.

The Minister of Aviation informed Parliament that "the pilot, in addition to the observer, did not follow the norms."

The Pakistani investigation team - which included officials from the French government and the aviation sector - analyzed the plane's data and sound recordings in the cockpit, and confirmed that the plane was "100% fit for flight, and there was no technical error."