Vietnam grounds Pakistani pilots over fake licence concerns

The move follows last week’s revelation that the credentials of 262 pilots in Pakistan may have been falsified, which came in the wake of a crash investigation

Vietnam had licensed 27 Pakistani pilots, 12 of whom were still active, while the others’ contracts had expired or were inactive due to the coronavirus pandemic

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Volunteers look for survivors of a Pakistan International Airlines plane that crashed in a residential area of Karachi, Pakistan, in May. Photo: AP

Published: 12:44pm, 29 Jun 2020Updated: 12:44pm, 29 Jun 2020

Vietnam’s aviation authority said on Monday it had grounded all Pakistani pilots working for local airlines, amid concern from global regulators that some pilots may have been using “dubious” licences.

Pakistan said last week it will ground more than 100 airline pilots whose credentials may have been falsified, after global airlines body IATA said that irregularities found in pilot licences at Pakistan International Airlines represent a “serious lapse” in safety controls.

“The head of the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV) has ordered a suspension for all Pakistani pilots working for Vietnamese airlines,” the CAAV said in a statement on Monday.

The suspension will be in effect until further notice from CAAV, it said, adding that the authority is coordinating with Pakistani authorities to review the pilots’ profiles.

Aircraft belonging to Vietnamese carrier VietJet Air are seen at Tan Son Nhat International Airport in Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: EPA

Vietnam had licensed 27 Pakistani pilots, and 12 of them were still active, while the other 15 pilots’ contracts had expired or were inactive because of the coronavirus pandemic, according to the CAAV.