A PIA official confirmed to The News International that the pilots, including an air hostess, have been sent termination letters, local media reported. The CAA director-general issued license revocation letters after the government’s approval.  

The Airline Transport Pilot licences of 48 PIA pilots had been suspended earlier without show cause notices while they were given two weeks to file their reply. Earlier, in 2019 the PIA had already grounded 17 pilots, the national carrier official told the newspaper.

Pakistan's Federal Minister for Aviation Ghulam Sarwar Khan has claimed that around 40 per cent of the pilots in the country have fake flying licences.

 Sarwar revealed the startling news about the ‘fake’ pilots while presenting a provisional inquiry report in the National Assembly of Pakistan about the recent PIA plane crash in Karachi, reports Gulf News.

“Pakistan has 860 active pilots, which includes PIA, Serene Air and Air Blue pilots as well. The inquiry which was initiated in February 2019 showed that 262 pilots did not give the exam themselves and asked someone else to sit for exam on their behalf,” the minister was quoted as saying by Gulf News.

He said they have found out during the investigations that pilots with ‘fake’ licences did not even have proper flying experience.