Aviation Minister Ghulam Sarwar has announced that 262 pilots would be barred from flying because of ‘dubious’ credentials. The pilots in the line of fire include 141 from Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), 10 from Serene Airline and nine from Air Blue. Others belong to flying clubs or chartered plane services. In total, there are 860 pilots in the country, 753 pilots serving locally and 107 in foreign ones.
With 5,686 flights in six cities in FY19, Serene Air has grown to become the second largest airline in Pakistan. The airline recorded double-digit growth of 29 percent for passenger traffic in 2019. The airline is in competition with other airlines such as PIA and Airblue to grab the market share which was created due to the closure of Shaheen Air.