ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (PCAA) has suspended the Air Operator Certificate (AOC) of Serene Air following prolonged flight delays and repeated cancellations that have caused major inconvenience to passengers nationwide.
The aviation regulator has formally directed Serene Air’s management to immediately submit the AOC back to the authority.
According to the official letter issued by the PCAA, Serene Air has failed to comply with regulatory requirements, particularly the obligation to maintain the minimum number of airworthy aircraft in its fleet.
The authority stated that the airline currently has zero serviceable aircraft available for operation, which constitutes a serious violation of CAA safety regulations. These regulations mandate that airlines must have at least one operational aircraft at all times to ensure the safe continuation of commercial flight services.
The letter further emphasized that operating without any airworthy aircraft is a clear breach of safe operation standards, and therefore Serene Air has been instructed to surrender its Air Operator Certificate without delay.
On the other hand, Serene Air’s management presented its version of events, stating that one of its aircraft was grounded in Saudi Arabia due to a bird strike, resulting in passengers being stranded abroad.
The airline has appealed to the Civil Aviation Authority to grant permission for the aircraft’s immediate return to Pakistan, which would allow the airline to resume limited operations and address the disruption faced by its passengers.
