Personnel Licensing and Licensing of Aviation Personnel
Licence structure
Pakistan issues licences to Annex 1 standards under the licensing CARs. The main professional licences are PPL, CPL, ATPL, MPL and flight engineer, each carrying ratings such as type, instrument, instructor and examiner.
Core minimums
- PPL: minimum age 17, at least 45 hours flight time.
- CPL: minimum age 18, 200 hours, or 150 hours through an approved integrated course, including cross-country, instrument and night components.
- ATPL: minimum age 21 and 1,500 hours, or 1,000 hours through an approved course, with the required cross-country and instrument time.
- Medical certificates: Class 1 for CPL/ATPL, Class 2 for PPL, Class 3 for air traffic controllers. Class 1 is normally valid 12 months, reduced to 6 months for pilots over 40 in single-pilot passenger operations.
- Recency: three take-offs and landings within 90 days for passenger-carrying operations; instrument recency is separate.
- English language proficiency at ICAO Level 4 or better is endorsed on the licence.
Worked example
A pilot holds a CPL with 220 hours and asks for an ATPL. The application must be refused: the age and 1,500-hour (or 1,000-hour approved-course) thresholds are not met. The correct path is to retain the CPL, add the required ratings, and build experience until the ATPL requirements are satisfied.
Traps
Hours from different categories cannot simply be added; a type rating is not a licence; and an expired medical invalidates the privileges even if the licence itself has not expired.