Pilots are working in the cockpit (Photo: VNA)

Of the 27 licensed pilots, Vietnam Airlines has employed six, Vietjet Air 17 and Jetstar Pacific 4.

However, 15 Pakistani pilots have either completed the labour contract or returned to their home country due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The remaining 12 pilots are working for both Vietjet Air and Jetstar Pacific, with the former employing 11, the CAAV revealed.

It also confirmed at present, there are no Pakistani pilots working for the national flag carrier, Vietnam Airlines, and the newly-established Bamboo Airways.

Earlier, all members of the Vietnam Airlines Group (Vietnam Airlines, Jetstar Pacific and the Vietnam Air Services Company (VASCO) said they have not employed Pakistani pilots to conduct flights in the recent past. 

The CAAV asked local airlines to temporarily suspend all Pakistani pilots over the alleged ‘fake’ license scandal in their country.  

The Authority explained that it has licensed these pilots to work in Vietnam in accordance with Vietnamese regulations and international practice specified in Annex 1 to the Convention on International Civil Aviation.

None of the pilots are involved in a flight incident or flight safety threat while flying for Vietnamese airlines, the CAAV noted.

It said it is working closely with the Pakistani authorities to review the entire records of these Pakistani pilots.

According to the CAAV, 1,223 foreign pilots are working in Vietnam, with Vietnam Airlines employing 309, Jetstar Pacific 145, Vietjet Air 622, and Bamboo Airways 147.

Vietnam Airlines says not employing Pakistani pilots

The national flag carrier Vietnam Airlines confirmed on June 28 it has not employed any Pakistani pilots or foreign pilots whose licenses were granted by Pakistan.

The other two members of the Vietnam Airlines Group, Jetstar Pacific and Vietnam Air Services Company (VASCO), also confirmed they have not employed Pakistani pilots to conduct flights in the recent past.   

The move comes after the Ministry of Transport requested all Vietnamese airlines to review and ground all Pakistani pilots following alleged ‘fake’ license scandal in Pakistan.

According to Pakistani media, Pakistani aviation authorities suspected as many as 262 out of 860 Pakistani pilots had used ‘fake’ licenses. These pilots were alleged to hire others to take exams for them in order to get the license, an accusation that followed a probe into last month’s crash that killed 97 people in Karachi.

The Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV) said it has decided to temporarily suspend 27 Pakistani pilots working in Vietnam, pending the results of investigations from the Pakistani side.

Vietnam Airlines Group always gives top priority to safety and the pilot always plays a decisive role in ensuring absolute safety for all flights, Vietnam Airlines said.

Vietnam Airlines has invested and put into operation its Flight Training Center (FTC) since 1998 and the Viet Flight Training School since 2009.

The national flag carrier is also a pioneer airline in Vietnam investing in the construction of a flight simulator cockpit complex to train, test and maintain the pilot’s capability to ensure 100% of Vietnamese and foreign pilots meet flight safety standards. VOV