PIA - Pakistan International Airlines (PK, Islamabad International) sacked 52 employees on various charges on July 3, the newspaper Dawn reported.
The employment contracts of 25 staff were terminated on charges of manufactured or altered degrees and documents, 22 employees for prolonged unauthorised absences, two for sharing official data with the media, and three for breach of rules, PIA’s HR department summarised in a letter to staff.
However, as it continues to manage the fallout from the fake pilot licence scandal, the company also awarded letters of appreciation to 11 employees for showing professionalism and commitment to their work.
“Discipline is the most important aspect of any organisation, as it binds employees and motivates them to follow the organisation’s rules and regulations. It is important to appreciate hardworking and dedicated employees and punish defaulters found guilty after transparent and unbiased inquiries as per the law,” the letter said.
Meanwhile, PIA has said it will unite with Pakistan’s diplomats to file an appeal in the coming days against the six-month ban on the carrier operating in Europe and the UK, imposed on July 1, local media reported.
As the ban could end up costing it billions of rupees in lost revenue, the airline has also sought the assistance of European and UK parliamentarians of Pakistani origin in resolving the matter quickly.
Foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi telephoned EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell on July 1 urging for a review of the decision, assuring that steps the government had been taking were aimed at ensuring the highest level of safety in PIA's operations.
Other countries, including the United Arab Emirates, Malaysia, and, as previously reported, Vietnam, have since sought to verify the credentials of the Pakistani pilots and engineers employed in their airlines and have suspended Pakistani pilots.
