PIA downgraded to a one-star airline

Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has been downgraded to a one-star airline, the lowest rating out of a total of seven stars, by AirlineRatings.com.

One of the top airline rating websites has rated the national flag carrier after it was suspected to be harboring 262 pilots with fake licenses.

The editor-in-chief of the website, Geoffrey Thomas in a statement said, “Clearly there needs to be an investigation into possible bribery and falsifying related to the pilot licenses.”

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“This is deeply disturbing as the IOSA audit and ICAO country audit should pick this up,” he added.

Earlier, the European Union banned PIA operations in the bloc for six-months. This resulted in its reduction to a one-star airline from a three-star one. AirlineRatings.com has stripped PIA of its three-stars for the IATA Operational Safety Audit and one-star for the ICAO country audit.

In a statement, IATA said they are following reports from Pakistan about fake pilot licenses, calling them “concerning” and “a serious lapse in-licensing and safety oversight by the aviation regulator”.

“We are trying to obtain more information on the matter,” the statement added.