Engelsk er et must

Brazil airline pilots flying international routes must retake English proficiency tests

SAO PAULO (AP) - Nearly 40 Brazilian pilots who fly international routes must retake English proficiency tests on suspicions they are not fluent enough, Brazil's Civil Aeronautics Agency said Friday, raising questions about air travel safety.

The agency, known as ANAC, said 37 pilots obtained English proficiency certificates from Spain's Flight Crew Training Academy, with which it signed an agreement to administer the tests in late 2011. ANAC spokeswoman Karen Bonfim said Brazilian pilots no longer take the tests at the Spanish institution.

In May, ANAC conducted a study that showed the proficiency tests administered in Spain did not comply with the standards demanded by the United Nations' International Civil Aviation Organization, Bonfim said. Suspicions started emerging earlier this year after ANAC noticed "a higher than average number" of pilots going to Spain for their certificates after failing earlier tests administered by ANAC in Brazil.

A working knowledge of English is required for pilots flying internationally.