ISLAMABAD, Jan 15: The Pakistan International Airlines, has sacked nearly 150 employees in the first phase of a retrenchment plan. “The national flag carrier has prematurely retired 43 regular employees and fired about 100 contractual workers because of inefficiency and under-performance, besides being surplus,” PIA’s spokesman Nasir Jamal confirmed on Monday.

He said those sacked were nearing superannuation but were inefficient and blocking the career path of competent people.

The decision to lay off the staff, he said, was in pursuance of the board of directors’ decision to restructure the airlines and on the recommendation of section heads. Sources said that there were plans to lay off more staff.

Those sacked in the first phase included general managers (three), cabin crew and secretarial staff.

PIA has been in financial tailspin with its monthly losses of more than Rs1 billion and current liabilities exceeding its assets by more than Rs20 billion.

Internal auditors in their half-yearly report for the period ending on June 30, 2006, had stated that conditions indicated the existence of a material uncertainty, which might cast significant doubts about the corporation’s ability to continue as a growing concern.