Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) said on Saturday that it had fired 63 workers last month for a variety of charges, including false pilot licenses, false educational credentials, embezzlement and customs duty violations.
PIA spokesman Abdullah Khan said the measures were taken according to the rules. He confirmed that among the 63 workers made redundant, 5 were captains who were made redundant due to incorrect permits.
PIA fired 28 employees for forging an identity card, while 27 employees were fired without notice. According to official information, two employees have been fired for embezzlement and one employee for incompetence.
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The airlines also downgraded four workers for refusing to work, and three workers were arrested for breaching Standard Procedures (SOPs). The spokesman said the sentence met procedural rules that would continue in the PIA without pressure.
Last month, the PIA fired 17 pilots for having "questionable" flight permits ordered by the federal cabinet. Among them were 12 captains and five first officers. The dismissal followed surprising revelations from Minister of Aviation Ghulam Sarwar Khan.
In June, Ghulam Sarwar Khan announced to Parliament that 262 out of a total of 860 pilots in the country had "suspicious aircraft permits" and should be immediately grounded. The PIA later announced that it would land a third of the 434 pilots
Minister aviation had said that a criminal case would also be brought against pilots with the allegedly forged permits, since the government could not allow anyone to endanger the lives of civilians. However, Palpa rejected the government's list of government pilots with questionable permits, saying it was full of inconsistencies.
