The Pakistan International Airline sacked on Tuesday 60 pilots, of which 28 had fake flying licences.

Twenty-seven other employees were fired over uninformed absences while five pilots were sent home after their licenses were suspected to be fake.

“Recently, two employees involved in corruption within the company were also fired,” he said, adding that another employee was sacked over the inefficiency and carelessness.

The airline has been very particular about its employees following the coronavirus SOPs. They have, therefore, announced cash rewards and increments for all those whop implement the protocols.

The spokesperson added that 13 pilots have been appreciated for their services while a promotion had been granted to two others.

PIA came under strict scrutiny after a flight carrying 99 passengers crashed in Karachi on May 22. Ninety-seven people were killed and later, an initial investigation report held the pilots responsible for the accident.

Earlier in June, Federal Aviation Minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan had announced in a National Assembly session that 262 out of 860 PIA pilots are suspected to have fake licenses and 150 pilots have been sacked over it. He also said that hiring in the company took place on the basis of political affiliations.

The minister’s announcement had steered global concern after which countries such as Europe and America banned the airline’s flight operations there. PIA was also relegated to a one-star airline, the lowest rating out of a total of seven stars, by AirlineRatings.com.