US regulators downgrade Pakistan's air safety rating, bar flights

The United States downgraded the safety rating of Pakistan's aviation system and will block Pakistan's airlines from launching service to the US.

The move announced on Wednesday follows revelations that nearly one-third of Pakistan's pilots cheated on exams but still received licenses from the country's civil-aviation authority.

The US Federal Aviation Administration said that it put Pakistan in a so-called category 2 rating, which means airlines from Pakistan can't start new flights to the US. Also, US airlines can't sell seats on Pakistani flights, a practice called code-sharing that is common among other international airlines.

There currently aren't any regularly scheduled flights between