PILOTS are issued flying licences by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) after strict examination. Since the beginning there has never been a case where the CAA has issued a licence in any dubious or objectionable manner.

Educational credentials of applicants are checked thoroughly to ensure they meet the requirements as stipulated. Thus flying licences and their authenticity are beyond doubt.

Different airlines have different requirements. Mostly, domestic and foreign airlines globally rely on the validity of a flying licence and medical fitness issued by the respective C AA.

The superior court’s desire to get all degrees of pilots and cabin crew verified has to be honoured by all airlines, pilots and the CAA. As verifying authorities are based all over the country, every authority has also its own set of rules and cannot necessarily issue verification in the very short time being given to airlines for compliance.

Also, some pilots received education in the ’70s and ’80s and at times do not have all the certificates/mark sheets required to be submitted to different authorities for verification of the degree/certificate that was issued by them.

The CAA , the airlines and crew are thus in a terrible state these days. The deadlines, on the one hand, and the cumbersome verification procedures and pressure from the employers, on the other, have baffled the airlines and pilots.

Thus, pilots and cabin crew are performing their sensitive duties in a state of mental anguish and agony. It is in public interest that the crew is safe while flying and not in a state of uncertainty about their future and their jobs.

However, while culprits in all fields need to be caught and punished, it must be recognised and appreciated that the CAA, airlines, and the crew depend on an outside agency which is not subservient to the crew affected, and follows its own procedures for verification.

In all fairness, it would be wise that only degrees/certificates required by the CAA for the issuance of flying licences and cabin crew competency certificates are verified, and for that a realistic time frame is given to ensure compliance. A short timeline, and that too beyond the control of individuals concerned, is causing avoidable anxiety among those on whom depend the safety of passengers.

Abid Hasan
Karachi

Published in Dawn, May 25th, 2018