This is apropos the news item published by The Nation in your issue dated 24 Oct 2009, 20, that France and Hungary have imposed restrictions on overflight in their airspace by commercial aircrafts being flown by pilots above 60 years and 62 years respectively. The PIA spokesman has stated that "It was a matter of common sense that after the age of 60, one could not serve in any job in this country, how was it possible to allow a pilot to serve in an airline". PIA seems to be in state of constant denial and in a state of auto-pilot as far as denying factual reporting of the media is concerned. A spokesman of PALPA, the pilots association, has accepted the fact that more than 40 over-aged pilots above 60 years are flying for PIA on contract and four of them are also operated Boeing 777 planes for US, UK and Canada. This follows permission by CAA to extend age of utilization of pilots to 65 years for operating aircrafts registered in Pakistan. Obviously, CAA's jurisdiction extends only to Pakistan airspace, or those countries which allow pilots to operate in their airspace without any restrictions of age limit. It is this attitude of PIA that had resulted in imposition of restrictions on its fleet by the European Union states. The Ministry of Defence must look into it before PIA faces another embarrassing ban. -ABRAR H, Faisalabad, October 28.