KARACHI: The Civil Aviation Authority has imposed Rs100,000 fine on a pilot of Pakistan International Airlines for violating air safety rules and exposing the lives of hundreds of passengers to danger, it is learnt here reliably.

According to highly-placed sources, senior PIA pilot Sadiq Amin Rehman — who is a former vice president of Pakistan Air Lines Pilots Association (Palpa) — had operated a long haul TransAtlantic flight from Pakistan without taking the mandatory rest.

The CAA has written a letter — Ref: HQCAA/1076/039/FSAC/7643 on the subject of “Imposition of financial penalty of Rs 100,000 Capt Sadiq Amin Rehman (ATPL 984)” — to the PIA.

The sources said Mr Rehman had not followed the PIA’s schedule and stayed back in Karachi and carrying 30 kilograms luggage in two bags (for the three to four day trip/duty) travelled to Lahore on July 3 to operate the Lahore-Toronto flight on July 4, without taking the mandatory 24-hour rest in the Punjab capital, as prescribed by the CAA.

They said the CAA was regulating the aviation very leniently as it had just suspended the licences of two PIA pilots who had committed serious air safety violations.

Published in Dawn, October 16th, 2017