CAA to outsource pilot licence exam to British firm

British company UKCI will conduct licence tests for the Pakistani pilots against six million Pounds Sterling as per the proposed agreement.

By Tariq Abul Hassan
June 30, 2021
AN office of the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). File photo
AN office of the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). File photo

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority has completed homework to award a British company the contract to conduct pilot licensing tests.

According to the Civil Aviation Authority sources, British company UKCI will conduct licence tests for the Pakistani pilots against six million Pounds Sterling as per the proposed agreement. The pilots will have to pay exam fee in British pounds. On the other hand, a local flying school has opposed the move to award the contract to the British company. The flying school administration said, “The course is already very expensive and the examination fee will multiply manifolds after awarding the contract to a British company.” The school has demanded reviewing the decision.

When asked for details about the proposed contract, the CAA spokesperson declined to reply. The International Civil Aviation has barred the CAA from conducting pilot licence tests after the controversial statement of Aviation Minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan over fake licences of pilots, following the PIA aircraft crash in Karachi in 2020. The Federal Investigation Agency is also investigating the fake licences.