The federal government has revoked the licences of 50 pilots and suspended 33 others under the Civil Aviation Rules, 1994, the Ministry of Defence told the National Assembly on Friday.
Authorities continue efforts to address the fallout from a pilot licensing scandal that has cost Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) an estimated Rs200 billion in lost revenue.
In a written reply submitted during Question Hour, the ministry said the action followed international scrutiny of Pakistani pilots’ credentials after allegations of fake licences surfaced.
The controversy prompted the UK, the EU and the US to bar PIA from operating flights to their airspace, cutting the airline off from some of its most lucrative international routes.
According to the Ministry of Defence, Pakistan International Airlines has lost access to the UK market, previously its most profitable, since the ban took effect in August 2020.
The reply stated that the resulting gap has been filled largely by rival carriers, with Emirates, Qatar Airways, Etihad Airways, British Airways and Virgin Atlantic absorbing the traffic PIA once carried on those routes. The Rs200 billion revenue loss covers the period from August 2020 to December 2024.
The government has also moved to address the crisis at an institutional level. The federal cabinet has formed a cabinet committee, headed by the Defence Minister, to oversee the matter, the ministry’s response noted.
