ISLAMABAD: The Senate has opted to correspond with the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and the European Union’s Aviation Agency regarding the restoration of pilots’ licenses.
Back in 2020, the issue of pilots’ licenses was highlighted by the then aviation minister, Ghulam Sarwar Khan, who disclosed to parliament the prevalence of counterfeit licenses or exam malpractices among numerous commercial pilots.
Saleem Mandviwalla, Chairman of the Senate Standing Committee on Aviation, expressed intent to address the pilot’s license concerns with both ICAO and the European Union’s Aviation bodies.
Despite repeated assurances from the Director-General of the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), the matter of pilot licenses remains unresolved.
Consequently, the Senate standing committee has resolved to draft a letter to ICAO and the European Aviation Agency, seeking the revival of these licenses.
Furthermore, the committee aims to address the pending licenses of more than 80 pilots within the current week.
During the previous Senate body session in October, concerns were voiced about the country’s economic repercussions due to delays in releasing pilots’ licenses.
As a result, the Ministry of Aviation and the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) were directed to furnish a comprehensive report on the matter to aid the panel’s decision-making process.
I am an experienced writer, analyst, and author. My exposure in English journalism spans more than 28 years. In the past, I have been working with daily The Muslim (Lahore Bureau), daily Business Recorder (Lahore/Islamabad Bureaus), Daily Times, Islamabad, daily The Nation (Lahore and Karachi). With daily The Nation, I have served as Resident Editor, Karachi. Since 2009, I have been working as a Freelance Writer/Editor for American organizations.
