PIA pilots to face tests after arrest of drunk captain in UK

Days after one of its pilots was arrested in Britain for being drunk, Pakistan's national airline today announced it would carry out blood tests of all pilots and crew on international flights.
Irfan Faiz, the 54-year-old captain of a Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) flight to Islamabad with 180 passengers, was arrested from the cockpit at Leeds-Bradford airport last week. He was found to be four-and-a-half times over the legal alcohol limit to fly.
PIA Managing Director Junaid Illyas said the incident had caused embarrassment for the airline and Pakistan.
"The incident has created a bad image for the airline and that is why we decided to take precautionary measures in future," Illyas told the media.

He said all pilots and cabin crew would have to undergo blood tests before international flights. "It is a precautionary measure to ensure they are not intoxicated and to discourage such incidents in future," he said.
Illyas said he was aware that PIA had a reputation for delayed flights and the tests would be done well before the departure time of flights.
The Pakistan government recently announced it would sell 26 per cent shares of PIA in a bid to privatise it and to improve its functioning and financial position.