The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has asked Pakistan to verify the licences of 54 Pakistani pilots who are working in various airlines in the Gulf.

This came after a Pakistani government’s probe revealed that about one-third of pilots working in Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) have fake licences.

The authorities in United Arab Emirates on Wednesday wrote a letter to their Pakistani counterparts for verification of licences of 54 pilots.

According to the letter, the UAE seeks information of licensing credentials of pilots to make air travel safe and secure. Licences of aircraft engineers working in the UAE will also be verified, it stated.

Earlier, the European Union Air Safety Agency (EASA) has also suspended the authorisation for the Pakistan International Airlines to operate in Europe for six months. “EASA has temporarily suspended PIA’s authorisation to operate to the EU member states for a period of six months effective July 1, 2020, with the right to appeal against this decision,” a PIA statement said.