Islamabad, Jan. 24, (dpa/GNA) – The United Nations is advising its staff not to travel on Pakistani airlines due to concerns over potentially fake licences of pilots.
In an advisory to staff seen by Pakistani media over the weekend, UN security officials said “caution is advised on use of Pakistan-registered air operators.”
Over the last decade, around 450 passengers and crew have died in four plane crashes in Pakistan.
Human error was found behind three of the four crashes, raising questions about the pilots’ abilities.
Responding to reports on Sunday, Pakistan’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) said it was assessing the situation and working on a solution.
The UN advisory applies to more than a dozen Pakistani airlines, including the national flag carrier, Pakistan International Airlines (PIA).
In June, Pakistani authorities had asked airlines to ground more than 150 pilots over suspicions about their qualifications and “dubious” licences. Following the announcement, PIA were banned from flying to EU states for six months.
The crackdown came after a PIA-operated Airbus A320 crashed in the southern Pakistani city of Karachi in May, killing 97 passengers and crew.
PIA was involved in two of the four airplane crashes to have taken place in Pakistan in the past decade.
GNA