Gregory Polek has spent his entire career in aviation journalism with AIN, starting as a proofreader and assistant to then-managing editor Mary Mahoney in 1995 after serving an internship with&nbsp;New Jersey Monthly&nbsp;magazine and completing his B.A. degree in English/Writing at New Jersey’s William Paterson College. By 1997 Polek accepted a position as an associate editor, covering the regional airline beat for&nbsp;Aviation International News&nbsp;in place of retiring industry veteran Don Anderson. The assignment took Polek across North America and Europe to profile regional airlines varying in size and mission from the likes of floatplane operators Kenmore Air and Chalk’s Ocean Airways to regional jet operators such as SkyWest and American Eagle. Today, in his dual role as Air Transport Editor and International Airshow Editor, Polek writes, edits, and manages AIN’s commercial aviation content while overseeing each of the company’s daily international air show publications in Paris, Farnborough, Singapore, and Dubai. Most recently Polek has assumed oversight of daily coverage of the Helicopter Association International’s annual Heli-Expo convention.

Senior Editor

Gregory Polek

The European Union Aviation Safety Agency has suspended the Third Country Operator (TCO) authorization of Pakistani carriers Pakistan International Airlines&nbsp;(PIA) and Vision Air effective July 1, the agency confirmed Tuesday. The decision stems from concerns about the capability of authorities to ensure that Pakistani air operators comply with international standards following a report by the country's parliament that revealed a “large share” of pilot licenses issued in Pakistan are invalid, said EASA.

 


The suspensions come some five weeks after the crash of a PIA Airbus A320 in which 97 of 99 aboard died along with one of four people injured on the ground. In an accident report published on June 24, Pakistan’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Board (AAIB) said it intended to look more closely at aircrew records "related to their medical fitness, licensing, training records, and personal documents." The agency also indicated it will review PIA's crew scheduling and rest process for the month prior to the accident.&nbsp;

 


A June 25 report by the Associated Press indicated that PIA grounded 150 pilots suspected of cheating on qualification tests “by having others take exams for them.” During a presentation to parliament on the crash, Pakistani aviation minister Ghulam Sarqar Khan revealed that 262 out of 860 Pakistani pilots carried "fake"&nbsp;licenses.

 


“PIA acknowledges the AAIB report and has already taken measures learning from it,” said the airline in a twitter post. “All pilots with dubious licenses will be grounded. Safety is more important than any commercial interest.”&nbsp;

News about commercial airlines, including regulations, aircraft orders, safety, acquisitions, and mergers.

EASA Bans Pakistani Carriers from European Airspace

EASA suspended flight authorization for Pakistan International Airways and Vision air following findings of invalid pilot licenses. 

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News and issues relating to the aerospace industry that are related to the science, engineering and business of flight in space involving civil, industrial and military applications, and similar topics related to flight in the atmosphere of the Earth that are not covered more directly by other AINonline subject channels. In other words, both astronautical and aeronautical subjects, except for those aeronautical topics that are specifically covered elsewhere on this website.

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