PIA sacks 54 more employees for fake degrees and other malpractices

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has sacked 54 more employees for having fake degrees, abusing drugs and for poor performance, according to a media report on Saturday.

Of the 54 employees sacked by the national carrier, seven were dismissed for tampered documents, eight for absence, two for taking bribe, four for immoral acts and one for being intoxicated, The Dawn newspaper reported.

Another two employees were removed for theft.

Apart from the sacked personnel, 13 employees were given letters of appreciation.

Seven officials got bonuses for excellent performance.

Now, the number of employees sacked in the airline in the last four months has gone upto 220.

The PIA has taken up a so-called 'cleaning up' exercise of its staff following Aviation Minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan's probe report into the May 22 Karachi plane crash.

The domestic flight from Lahore to Karachi had crashed in a residential area near the Jinnah International Airport in Karachi.

The aviation minister's probe report blamed the pilots and the air traffic control for the tragedy that killed 97 people.

The report called for wholesale changes in the operations of the airline.