The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) has reiterated its strict licensing procedures following the arrest of a “delivery boy” allegedly involved in selling fake aviation licenses.
The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) presented the suspect to the media on Friday.
In a statement, CAAP emphasized that it uses a multilayered system to verify license applicants, which includes submission of academic credentials and certifications from CAAP-accredited institutions. For foreign training, the schools must first be validated by the agency.
Applicants are then assigned a unique Personnel License Number (PEL) upon passing the initial review. This number tracks their aviation history and serves as a tool to verify authenticity.
The agency said that any license not matching a valid PEL number is flagged as fake. CAAP is coordinating with other countries through the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) to validate suspicious licenses.
CAAP and the NBI are investigating whether corrupt insiders helped the syndicate. Past investigations have revealed similar schemes where applicants paid $30,000–$40,000 to obtain fraudulent licenses without undergoing proper training.
Editor’s Note: This is an updated article. Originally posted with the headline “CAAP, NBI probe fake pilot license syndicate”
