Pakistan aviation body urges reversal of 3-year foreign pilot rule

The Aircraft Owners and Operators Association (AOOA) Pakistan has urged the government to reverse arrangements allowing foreign pilots' licenses to remain valid for up to three years, saying the policy is limiting employment opportunities for Pakistani aviators and increasing foreign exchange outflows.

In a letter to the Ministry of Defence, AOOA founder Imran Aslam Khan claimed that around 1,500 Pakistani pilots were unemployed while domestic airlines employed more than 150 foreign pilots.

The association estimated that foreign pilots were receiving tax-free salaries of up to USD 15,000 per month. It put the resulting monthly foreign exchange outflow at more than USD 2.25 million, equivalent to approximately PKR 623.25 million.

Khan said the preference for foreign flight crews over qualified Pakistani pilots was undermining the domestic aviation industry and depriving young aviators of employment opportunities.

Why is AOOA opposing the foreign pilot regulations?

The association said earlier regulations restricted the employment of foreign pilots, particularly their deployment on wet-leased aircraft, and argued that extended license validation could enable airlines to retain overseas crews for longer periods.

A wet lease is an arrangement in which an airline rents an aircraft along with its crew, maintenance and insurance.

Under Pakistan's National Aviation Policy 2023, validation of foreign flight-crew licenses was limited to one year, while wet leases of foreign-registered aircraft were generally permitted for up to 120 days, extendable to a maximum of 180 days.

In January 2025, the federal cabinet approved a two-year extension of license validation for 86 foreign pilots already working in Pakistan. It also approved three-year validation for new foreign pilots joining in 2025, according to the Associated Press of Pakistan (APP).

AOOA claimed the extended arrangements had been introduced without adequate consultation with domestic aviation stakeholders.

The association warned that airlines could rotate foreign crews to retain overseas pilots indefinitely, further limiting employment opportunities for local aviators.

Khan specifically named Airblue, Fly Jinnah and AirSial, alleging that the airlines relied heavily on foreign pilots to avoid the initial training and aircraft type-rating costs associated with hiring young Pakistani pilots.

He argued that training a local pilot cost less than the monthly salary of a foreign pilot, making investment in domestic aviation talent more economical over the longer term.

The association said continued reliance on foreign crews was increasing pressure on Pakistan's foreign exchange reserves and hindering the development of the country's general aviation industry.

It urged the authorities to reverse the extended licensing arrangements, strengthen oversight to prevent the rotation of foreign crews and require domestic airlines to prioritize the recruitment and training of qualified Pakistani pilots.

AOOA also called for immediate measures to protect local employment and strengthen Pakistan's aviation sector.