ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's national carrier has written to foreign missions and regulatory bodies to inform them it has grounded 141 pilots suspected of obtaining licenses through unfair means in a bid to allay global concerns over the issue, officials said on Saturday.
The issue of commercial pilots possessing dubious licences came to light after the preliminary probe report of the Karachi plane crash blamed the pilots and the air traffic control for the tragedy that killed 97 people.
Minister for Aviation Ghulam Sarwar Khan disclosed in the National Assembly on Wednesday that a large number of commercial pilots possessed 'dubious licences'.
After the severe backlash, Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) moved into action and wrote to foreign missions and regulatory bodies.
A PIA official said that letters signed by PIA Chief Executive Arshad Malik were sent to all heads of foreign missions and international aviation regulators to assuage the fears of the global community.
Malik informed the international community that 141 suspected pilots were grounded and PIA was following international protocols to ensure safety, according to the official.