Pakistan cancels 50 pilot licenses, suspends 33 amid fake license probe

Dhaka: Pakistan's federal government has canceled the licenses of 50 pilots and suspended 33 others following allegations involving fake pilot licenses, according to the country's local media reports.

The Ministry of Defence of Pakistan disclosed the action in a written response submitted during a parliamentary Question Hour session, noting it was taken under the Civil Aviation Rules, 1994.

The ministry said international flight restrictions imposed on Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) by the United Kingdom, European Union, and United States over fake license allegations cost the airline PKR 200 billion in revenue between August 2020 and December 2024.

PIA also lost access to the UK market, which the ministry called its most profitable international route network. Competing carriers, including Emirates, Qatar Airways, Etihad Airways, British Airways, and Virgin Atlantic, gained from PIA's absence, the response noted.

The Pakistan government has since formed a cabinet committee, headed by the defense minister, to further examine the matter, the reports said.