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			<title>Couple caught 'kissing' on Airblue flight</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2301336/couple-caught-kissing-on-airblue-flight</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2301336/couple-caught-kissing-on-airblue-flight#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Mon, 24 May 21 18:26:42 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Waqas Ahmed]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2301336</guid>
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				<![CDATA[Eyewitnesses claim air hostess brought couple blanket to continue 'indecent' activities under the covers]]>
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				<![CDATA[An &#39;amorous&#39; couple was allegedly caught kissing on a local AirBlue flight, causing an uproar on the aircraft with a passenger filing an official complaint with the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).&nbsp;

The &#39;incident&#39; took place on PA-200, a Karachi-Islamabad flight, on May 20.

Eyewitnesses claim the couple seated in the fourth row first began kissing. The fellow passengers then complained, upon which the air hostess requested the couple to desist.

When they did not pay heed to her request, she reportedly provided the couple with a blanket to keep their display&nbsp;of affection under wraps

Passengers claim that when the couple was confronted over their actions they hit back saying,&quot;Who are you to tell us anything&quot;.

Advocate Bilal Farooq Alvi, who was on board the plane, lodged a complaint with the CAA against&nbsp;the airline staff for not taking action to stop the couple.

The authority is now reportedly probing the matter. Alvi also issued a video message on social media claiming to detail the actions of the couple in the presence of families aboard the flight.]]>
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			<title>Govt allows Airblue, Serene Air to fly on international routes</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2276250/govt-allows-airblue-serene-air-to-fly-on-international-routes</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2276250/govt-allows-airblue-serene-air-to-fly-on-international-routes#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Wed, 16 Dec 20 19:38:15 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[zafar.bhutta]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Business]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2276250</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Relaxes aviation policy in wake of Covid-19 pandemic]]>
			</description>
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				<![CDATA[The government has relaxed its aviation policy to allow Airblue to continue flying on international routes and has also permitted Serene Air to start international flights.

According to Article 4.5(a) (iv) read with Article 4.4, Pakistan&rsquo;s scheduled carriers are required to operate on primary and socio-economic routes. However, over the course of more than one year since the policy came into effect, both Serene Air and Airblue have not been able to operate 5% of their capacity - available seat kilometre - each on primary and socio-economic routes as required under the said article.

At present, due to Covid-19, airlines all over the world, including the domestic airlines, have suffered massive losses. Hence, it is unlikely that Serene Air and Airblue will be able to fulfill the requirement of satisfactory operations on primary and socio-economic routes anytime soon.

While Airblue is already operating international flights, Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has forwarded a request of Serene Air for international operations.

Pakistan has concluded Air Services Agreements (ASAs) with 98 countries. Several ASAs contain provision for multiple airlines designation. Airblue has been operating flights to the UAE and Saudi Arabia whereas Serene Air has planned to start operations to the UK, China, the UAE, Iraq and Saudi Arabia.

In view of the foregoing and the vision of National Aviation Policy (NAP) 2019, the Aviation Division had proposed that the provision of Article 4.5(a) (iv) of NAP 2019 regarding operations on primary and socio-economic routes may be relaxed in favour of both Serene Air and Airblue so that the carriers may be permitted to commence/ continue international flight operations.

Moreover, the approval of designation for Serene Air and Airblue for all countries with whom Pakistan has ASAs (or shall conclude/ revise ASAs in future) containing provision for multiple airlines designation may also be granted, subject to a request by the respective airline.

According to NAP 2019 and terms of bilateral ASAs, the federal cabinet is the competent authority to relax provisions of the aviation policy as well as approve designation of Pakistani airlines for other countries.

Serene Air has given an undertaking that it will fly as per requirements of NAP 2019 on primary and socio-economic routes as soon as possible after the pandemic is over.

The Aviation Division sought the cabinet&rsquo;s approval for the proposal contained in Para 4 of its summary.

The cabinet considered the summary titled &ldquo;Relaxation of Article 4.5(iv) of National Aviation Policy 2019 in favour of Serene Air and Airblue&rdquo;, submitted by the Aviation Division, and approved the proposal.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 17th, 2020.

Like Business on Facebook, follow @TribuneBiz on Twitter to stay informed and join in the conversation.]]>
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			<title>PIA earns Rs7-8b from Hajj operations</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2035541/pia-earns-rs7-8b-hajj-operations</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2035541/pia-earns-rs7-8b-hajj-operations#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Sat, 17 Aug 19 04:39:51 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Usman Hanif]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Business]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2035541</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Expected revenue significantly less than the anticipated Rs25b]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[The Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has earned a revenue of Rs7-8 billion out of the anticipated Rs25 billion from Hajj operations.

Around 250,000 people went to perform Hajj from Pakistan this year.

Of this, PIA flew more than 82,000 pilgrims, which is 20% more than the previous year when 68,000 people had flown with the national airline, according to PIA spokesperson Mashhood Tajwar.

Pakistan and Saudi Arabia divide the traffic for their airlines during Hajj season.

Besides, PIA and Saudi Airlines are major players who cater to around 100,000 Pakistani pilgrims. The remaining pilgrims are carried by Airblue, Etihad, Emirates and other airlines.

SC orders PIA to file plea against contract employees’ regularisation order

Following the devaluation in rupee, the Hajj package arranged by the government cost around Rs400,000 while privately undertaken pilgrimage has no upper limit and can go up to Rs3 million, said an aviation source.

From airports situated in the northern region, ie Lahore and Islamabad, the ticket price ranged from Rs110,000 to Rs150,000 while tickets from Karachi airport cost between Rs100,000-Rs105,000.

Private hajj operators offered packages as small as one week or 15 days while government arranged Hajj takes over a month.

Private hajj operators book late flights for their clients departing for Saudi Arabia and early flights while returning to Pakistan.

These are peak times therefore airfares skyrocket making privately arranged pilgrimage expensive.

Last year during Hajj season, Shaheen Airlines was undergoing financial crunch due to which PIA and Airblue received bigger share of passengers.

"Overall, more than one million people from Pakistan go for Umrah every year," he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 17th, 2019.

Like Business on Facebook, follow @TribuneBiz on Twitter to stay informed and join in the conversation.]]>
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			<title>Compensation principles</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/1709444/compensation-principles</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/1709444/compensation-principles#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Mon, 14 May 18 05:21:19 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[editorial]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Editorial]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=1709444</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Airline has withheld financial compensation worth Rs5 million to each family of air crash victims]]>
			</description>
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				<![CDATA[Financial compensation for the lives of air crash victims is often a subject of lengthy litigation in Pakistan producing unimaginable suffering and anguish for the aggrieved families. Eight years have passed since an Airblue plane went down in the Margalla Hills north of Islamabad, killing all 152 passengers and crew aboard. It was the deadliest air crash in the country. Yet in all that time the budget air carrier has not been able to reach a final settlement and hand over compensatory cheques or money to all victims’ families.

On Sunday, the apex court ordered Airblue owners to deposit the compensation amount in the court within 24 hours. It is a crying shame that the airline has withheld financial compensation worth Rs5 million to each family for so long. There is also confusion over the exact number of heirs who have received the payout so far. The decree was issued by Chief Justice of Pakistan Mian Saqib Nisar in response to an application submitted in the court against degrees forged by the pilots of different airlines. The air carrier has been asked to submit a list of the victims as well as a record of litigation to the apex court.

Carriers are bound to pay the heirs of air crash victims even if they are at no fault under the Pakistan Carriage by Air Act 2012. The liability may be higher if the carrier is found to be at fault. Unfortunately, there is considerable disparity in the limit of liability between an international passenger and a domestic passenger – with the international passengers entitled to three to four times more than domestic passengers. Now is a good time to end such disparity.

We can expect to find many more skeletons in the cupboard once the Civil Aviation Authority gets different universities to verify the degrees of local airline staff. This may not remove malpractices altogether from the airline industry or make it accident-free, but it will certainly make it more compliant with the rules.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 14th, 2018.

Like Opinion &amp; Editorial on Facebook, follow @ETOpEd on Twitter to receive all updates on all our daily pieces.

&nbsp;]]>
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			<title>CJP orders Airblue to pay compensation to victims of 2010 crash</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/1708370/cjp-summons-details-may-12-mayhem</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/1708370/cjp-summons-details-may-12-mayhem#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Sat, 12 May 18 06:18:11 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Nasir Butt]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Sindh]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=1708370</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Recites a prayer for all those martyred in the May 12 incident]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[The Chief Justice of Pakistan Mian Saqib Nisar on Saturday ordered officials of the Airblue airline to pay the compensation promised to the families of the victims of 2010 crash over Margalla hills, Islamabad.

The top court resumed the hearing of the case pertaining to pilot's fake degrees. Those affected by the Airblue tragedy reached the top court's Karachi registry. "We were affected by the 2010 crash but complete compensation has not been provided even to this day," the affected persons told the court.

Lawyers mark tragic events of May 12, 2007

At this, Justice Nisar reprimanded officials of the concerned airline. "You are the CEO of the company, and you don't know this is happening?" Justice Nisar said to Managing Director of Airblue airlines, Junaid Khan.

"147 people were martyred in the crash, every person should have been compensated with Rs2.5 million," the affected citizen demanded. "Why has the amount not been paid," the top judge questioned Khan. Justice Nisar then ordered the amount to be deposited in court. "Bring the list along with stamp papers," the court ordered Khan.

The court also demanded the list of all those affected by the tragedy along with compensation amount details. Court orders a report to be presented in the Karachi registry on Sunday along with the dues payable.

CJ also summoned details of Bhoja Air tragedy.

Prior to the affected citizens reaching court, the bench heard arguments on the fake degrees case. "We have 101 pilots and a staff of 251," Khan told the court. The bench expressed anger over the delay in confirmation and verification of degrees.

Why have the pilots’ degrees not been verified," Justice Nisar questioned as he slapped Airblue with a fine of Rs50,000. "Amount should be deposited in the Fatimid Foundation," he further ordered. "If any irresponsibility is demonstrated, then contempt of court proceedings will be taken against MD Junaid Khan," the CJP announced.

Meanwhile, Khan ensured the court that Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi has no links with the airline.

The CJP also reprimanded CEO PIA, Dr Musharraf Rasool Cyan for not paying the employees' dues on time. "We have 498 pilots for 32 planes," Cyan told the court. At this, the court gave one week's time to the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) and PIA to submit a detailed report.

The chief of Shaheen Air was also reprimanded over failure to provide information in the case. Additionally, the court slapped the airline with a fine of Rs100,000. The fine will be paid to Fatimid Foundation as well. "You have dual nationality and you play with the court's orders?" the top judge said to the chief, who is also a Canadian citizen.

"Strict action will be taken if complete information is not provided within 3 days," Justice Nisar remarked.

The CJP also visited Central Jail, Karachi. He even shared a meal with the inmates to see the current condition of the city's largest jail.

May 12 incident

Justice Nisar also summoned the record file of the May 12 incident of 2007. Before initiating the cases in the SC's Karachi registry, the top judge said that a prayer should be recited for all those martyred in the May 12 incident.

ECP challenges IHC order rescinding ban notice

Justice Nisar summoned records of the May 12 incident which left 50 dead, including lawyers and political activists as they went to welcome former chief justice Iftikhar Chaudhry in 2007.

After the prayers, the CJP inquired from lawyer Faisal Siddiqui as to whether an inquiry in that incident took place. Siddiqui informed the court that the matter is being heard at the Sindh High Court (SHC), upon which the CJP asked for details so he could examine the case himself.

At least 50 people, including 45 lawyers, were shot and killed as they went to welcome the suspended chief justice (at the time) Justice (retd) Iftikhar Chaudhry in Karachi. During the tenure of former president Pervez Musharraf, workers of the ruling party opened fire which led to the bloodbath remembered as May 12.

Karachi's load shedding problem

The CJP also expressed severe dissatisfaction over the hours of load shedding in Karachi. Justice Nisar further ordered K-Electric (KE) to halt load shedding more than required.

During the hearing, the top court was dissatisfied with the state of affairs in Karachi. "Shall the people of Karachi be put in hell? The people of Karachi are being destroyed, is it not your work to provide electricity to them?" Justice Nisar questioned.

"Ramazan is starting, if this stays throughout, the people of Karachi will suffer immensely," he added.

KE's lawyer said that multiple faults in the system has led to problems. At this the CJP asked for the backups prepared by the organisation. CEO of KE, Tayyab Tareen, informed the bench that Karachi requires 3200 Megawatts while KE is only producing 2650 Megawatts. "Who gave you the permission to perform load shedding?" Jusrice Nisar questioned.

"Should we file a case against you?" he further questioned. Ordering no more load shedding than required, the top judge also sought report by KE on May 20.]]>
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			<title>AirBlue takes dig at PIA in new ad</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/1406150/airblue-takes-dig-pia-new-ad</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/1406150/airblue-takes-dig-pia-new-ad#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Wed, 10 May 17 10:23:28 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[news.desk]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=1406150</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[A senior PIA pilot was caught sleeping on an international flight]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[Trolling other brands and using controversies as a marketing tool is all the rage among international and national brands.

Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has recently been embroiled in a controversy where a senior pilot was caught sleeping during an international flight after handing over the aircraft to a trainee pilot.

PIA cashes in on US electronics ban on Middle East airlines

Taking advantage, AirBlue posted a simple ad which showed a pilot smiling towards the camera. 'Up and Awake' was the slogan of the ad. It took AirBlue only three words to troll one of their biggest competitors and gain a lot of admirers in the process.



AirBlue's quick thinking not only cashes in on their competitor's negative publicity but also sends a message that the brand is focused on passenger safety.

Most recently, cashing in on United State’s recent ban barring Middle East airlines from having electronic items on board, PIA tweeted, “Don’t let your work get interrupted onboard.”]]>
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			<title>Airblue flight escapes accident as tyre bursts during landing</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/1059249/airblue-flight-escapes-accident-as-tyre-bursts-during-landing</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/1059249/airblue-flight-escapes-accident-as-tyre-bursts-during-landing#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Fri, 04 Mar 16 08:41:37 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[news.desk]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=1059249</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[All 230 passengers on flight PA 271 remained safe]]>
			</description>
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				<![CDATA[An Airblue aircraft on Friday escaped a possible accident when the front tyre of the Jeddah-Islamabad flight burst during landing at Islamabad's Benazir Bhutto International Airport (BBIA), Express News reported.

The Islamabad-bound flight PA 271 caused panic among passengers and the crew as one of its tyres burst, urging the pilot to take quick measures.

Shaheen Air pilot refuses to take off after detecting hole in plane wing

According to airport sources, despite the difficult landing all passengers on the Airbus A-320 plane remained safe.

The plane was later taxied to the parking bay. The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) reached the site for further investigations.

Safety measures taken by local airlines has always been questioned by passengers, due to the series of crashes in recent years.

In April 2012, a passenger airliner crashed near Islamabad while trying to land during a thunderstorm, officials said, with all 127 people on board believed to be dead.

Bhoja Air crash in Rawalpindi: ‘No chance of survivors’

The Bhoja Air flight from Karachi burst into flames after coming down in fields near a village on the outskirts of capital Islamabad as it tried to land in rain and hail at the city’s international airport.

The airline said the Boeing 737-200 was carrying 121 passengers, including 11 children, as well as six crew.]]>
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			<title>Airblue to add four Airbus 321s to fleet</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/985963/post-aviation-policy-airblue-to-add-four-airbus-321s-to-fleet</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/985963/post-aviation-policy-airblue-to-add-four-airbus-321s-to-fleet#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Thu, 05 Nov 15 22:20:05 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[saad.hasan]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category><category><![CDATA[Business]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=985963</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Encouraged by tax waiver, company decides to expand]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[Encouraged by a tax waiver, private carrier Airblue has decided to add four Airbus 321s to its fleet over the next few months, according to officials.

The announcement was communicated to Prime Minister’s Special Assistant on Aviation Shujaat Azeem in a recent meeting held to review the progress on the new aviation policy.

China completes production of own passenger plane

“We are pushing airlines to invest and expand operations,” said Azeem, adding that it was the best time to make the most out of the new aviation policy while the fuel price was down.

The National Aviation Policy 2015 introduced earlier this year has further liberalised air space by encouraging investment in the airline industry and its auxiliary operations.

The reduction in taxes and duties on the import of aircraft and their spare parts has been the highlight of the recent aviation policy that earlier used to blot up the cost by as much as 35%.

Despite the incentives offered, except Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), which leased 15 aircraft in the last two years on the back of government support, other airlines have been reluctant to invest aggressively.

New Airbus design stacks passengers on top of each other

“The aviation policy is a step in the right direction, especially with its focus on taxing revenue instead of investment,” said Airblue Managing Director Junaid Khan.

It is time for the Ministry of Finance to realise that taxing domestic airfare heavily will result in a retarded growth for the industry.

“Taxes make up around 30% to 35% of domestic airfare,” noted Khan. “This shouldn’t be more than 4% to 5%.”

Pakistan’s passenger traffic has been stagnant for the past couple of years, making some of the officials at the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) sceptical about the incentive-led growth model.

PIA to lease seven new jets, expand fleet



“Change won’t come overnight,” added Khan. “For argument’s sake, I would relate our situation to that of the telecom industry. Who would have conceived 20 years ago that even a milkman would be carrying a mobile phone?”

“Similarly, people need to travel; our job is to only make it affordable.”

However, domestic airline history is replete with failures.

Pakistan adopted an ‘Open Skies’ policy in the 1990s, allowing competition on domestic routes and giving broader access to foreign airlines.

Chinese firms sign deal to buy 300 Boeing planes: Xinhua

More than 20 licences were issued to airliners but none except Shaheen Air survived. Aero Asia, Bhoja Air and others succumbed to financial troubles.

Air Indus, the youngest of the four domestic airlines, is also struggling to revive its operation after running into problems with the CAA over its inability to lease jets.

A capital-intensive business, airlines are often run and sponsored by people who do it more for the charm and prestige of it than its return on capital, which takes years to come.

The risk-averse nature of Pakistani banks has not helped the airlines either. A narrow-body jet is leased for around $50 million.

Aviation advisor Shujaat Azeem says he has decided to take on this challenge and has called up a meeting with top bankers to have their opinion on the matter.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 6th, 2015.

Like Business on Facebook, follow @TribuneBiz on Twitter to stay informed and join in the conversation.]]>
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			<title>Airblue crash anniversary: Could lives have been saved?</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/582868/airblue-crash-anniversary-could-lives-have-been-saved</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/582868/airblue-crash-anniversary-could-lives-have-been-saved#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Sun, 28 Jul 13 05:46:18 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[our.correspondent]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=582868</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Victims’ families claim Bhoja crash could have been averted if govt followed court orders.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[Three years after Airblue flight ED-202 crashed into the Margalla Hills, relatives of the victims are still yearning for justice, and wondering how many lives could have been saved if the authorities took remedial action after the crash.


The families of the crash victims were certain that the Bhoja Air crash in April 2012 could have been avoided if the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) had followed court orders.

In January 2011, the Peshawar High Court (PHC) had ordered the CAA to conduct a safety audit and inspection of airplanes of all airlines and of the CAA’s ground facilities within three months, according to Colonel (retd) Shamim Shaikh.

“Had the CAA conducted the audit on time, the Bhoja crash could have been avoided,” said Shaikh, the north zone coordinator for the Airblue Crash Affectees Group (ACAG).

Hassan Adeel — Shaikh’s 28-year-old son — was one of the 152 passengers and crew members who perished when ED-202 crashed in to Islamabad’s Margalla Hills on July 28, 2010.

Even now, an independent safety investigation board has not materialised and some families have not been compensated.

Airblue sources claimed the airline had paid Rs5.55 million each as compensation to the families of 120 victims, despite having a legal liability of only one million rupees each. The rest of the families have not been compensated because of ongoing litigation.



ACAG members believe private airlines in Pakistan have become untouchable and they claim the PHC’s orders are not being followed.

The PHC had ordered the inspection and audit of aircrafts during the hearing of a writ petition regarding the Airblue crash. The petition was filed in December 2010 by Marvi Memon — an MNA at the time — and the families of some of the crash victims. The next hearing in that case is scheduled for September.

Shaikh claimed that the CAA did not conduct the inspection in a timely manner. CAA spokesperson Mehmood Hussain did not respond when approached for comment.

However, in August 2012, three months after the Bhoja Air crash in Islamabad took the lives of all 127 passengers and crew members on board, lawyers representing the CAA told the PHC that an inspection of aircrafts belonging to all airlines had indeed been carried out.

Qaiser Zulfiqar, an ACAG member who lost his brother in the crash, said the victims’ families are not getting justice because private airlines are colluding against them and also harming national interests.

“Private airlines have strategically destroyed Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) so that their own businesses could grow,” said Zulfiqar. “Even the CAA is under their influence.”

Zulfiqar said the new Aviation Division formed by the federal government has only focused on PIA and the CAA without touching upon private airlines, even though all the recent air crashes in Pakistan are linked to private airlines.

The PHC had also ordered the CAA to reinvestigate the crash with the help of foreign experts, according to AGAC members. Instead, the CAA simply had its old report about the air crash reviewed by foreign experts and resubmitted it in April, Shaikh alleged.

According to the CAA’s earlier investigation report, the flight’s captain, Pervez Iqbal Chaudhry, had ignored the air traffic controller and violated standard procedures and flying discipline, which led to the air crash and the loss of 152 lives.

Shaikh said no answers have been provided as to why the pilot acted in such a manner.

Attempts to reach Airblue officials for comment via phone and email over the weekend went unanswered.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 28th, 2013.]]>
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			<title>Airblue crash re-investigation: ATC staff failed to navigate plane to safety, reveals CAA report</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/528123/airblue-crash-re-investigation-atc-staff-failed-to-navigate-plane-to-safety-reveals-caa-report</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/528123/airblue-crash-re-investigation-atc-staff-failed-to-navigate-plane-to-safety-reveals-caa-report#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Fri, 29 Mar 13 06:16:47 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[our.correspondent]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=528123</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Pilot error also blamed for fatal incident.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) admitted on Thursday for the first time that the pilot and the air traffic control staff were responsible for the 2010 Air Blue crash.


In the re-investigation report of the crash submitted to the Peshawar High Court (PHC), CAA maintained that responsibility for the incident also lay with the air traffic control staff for failing to guide the aircraft out of the crisis. It revealed that the air traffic controller guiding Airblue flight ED202 was inexperienced and as such was unable to discharge his duty.

“Weather forecasts (at the time of the flight) indicated rain, poor visibility and low clouds around the airport. The information regarding the prevalent weather and the type of approach on arrival was in the knowledge of aircrew,” the report submitted before the court reads. It adds that the flight captain violated the prescribed flight discipline for the weather conditions and placed the aircraft in an unsafe situation.

“The air traffic services (both the radar and the control tower), which could have helped the flight out of this situation, also failed to avert a ‘controlled flight into terrain’ (CFIT) due to lack of knowledge and training, and ambiguous procedures in the sort of scenario the aircraft was flying in during the last phase of the flight,” the report further notes.

CAA legal counsel Obaidur Rehman Abbasi, meanwhile, told the bench they will present their recommendations on safety measures at the next hearing, after which the hearing was adjourned.

The summary of the re-investigation report was submitted in response to PHC’s directives issued on February 19. In the previous hearing, the CAA had produced the transcript of the Cockpit Voice Recorder recovered from the crash site. The bench subsequently asked Safety Investigation Board president Air Commodore Muhammad Abdul Basit to summarise the transcript in simple terms due to technical jargon.

Airblue flight ED202, bound for Islamabad, crashed into the Margalla Hills on July 28, 2010, killing all passengers and flight crew on-board.

On November 9, 2012, investigation experts of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) completed their reinvestigation into the Airblue crash and concluded, among other things, that aviation body’s initial investigation report into the incident lacked vital information. The information missing from CAA’s report, according to ICAO experts, included the details on the weather conditions during the flight and the maintenance of navigational aids. The ICAO report also noted that while communication between the flight and the air traffic controllers was mentioned, no section in the final report was dedicated to it.

The foreign experts also maintained that the draft of the first report had more details, but claimed they were omitted after it was reviewed by the CAA director general in March, 2011. They, as such, expressed concern over the possibility of a conflict of interest.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 29th, 2013. ]]>
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			<title>Airblue crash: Foreign experts say CAA withheld vital information</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/463524/airblue-crash-foreign-experts-say-caa-withheld-vital-information</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/463524/airblue-crash-foreign-experts-say-caa-withheld-vital-information#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Sat, 10 Nov 12 02:12:16 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[umer.farooq]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[K-P]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=463524</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[The new investigation report has been submitted to the Ministry of Defence and the PHC.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[Investigation experts of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) completed their reinvestigation of the Airblue crash and submitted a report to the Ministry of Defence and the Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Thursday.


Airblue flight 202 crashed in the Margalla Hills on July 28, 2010 killing 146 passengers and six crew members.

During the last case hearing on October 17, the PHC asked the CAA’s senior legal adviser, Obaidur Rehman Abbasi, to share the reinvestigation report with the court when it’s completed.

The report reveals that the incident occurred after the pilot lost control of the aircraft.

It further says that the investigation report made by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), which is available on its website, is incomplete and lacks vital information.

The CAA’s initial investigation, referred to as the draft report, had more details. But after it was sent for a review on March 7, 2011, the CAA director general (DG) ordered that some information be deleted from the final report, which was made public, sources familiar with the ICAO investigation told The Express Tribune. Under CAA rule 281, the DG has the power to share information at his/her discretion.

The reinvestigation was carried out by ICAO Technical Officer Dr Andre Dekok and Standards and Procedure Officer Thormodur Thormodsson.  They mentioned in their report that the draft version—not made public—was only read to them. They were not provided a copy of the draft report as it would violate CAA rules.

According to the ICAO report, the pilot was suffering from spatial disorientation. This condition occurs when a pilot is unable to correctly interpret the aircraft’s attitude (movement), altitude (height) or airspeed, in relation to the point of reference.

“The aircraft went out of the pilot’s control after it abruptly showed an altitude of 3,110ft a few seconds ahead of the incident. The final report contained 15 safety recommendations, which were not in accordance with the ICAO rules,” sources said, quoting the new report.

The sources added that according to ICAO experts, the final report wrongly mentioned that the family members of the crash victims were treated according to the ICAO guidelines.

The CAA’s report does not mention the weather conditions either, a crucial factor leading up to the crash. While the communication between the flight crew and the air traffic controllers is mentioned, no section in the final report was dedicated to communication, the experts said.

“ICAO experts also expressed concerns over the possibility of a conflict of interest since CAA investigation officials had made the report themselves,” sources said.

The Safety Investigation Board (SIB), a body which falls under the CAA, is responsible for investigating air accidents in Pakistan. Foreign experts were quoted as saying that the SIB is not an independent and impartial organisation and can not investigate in a transparent manner.

Sources requesting anonymity said that the ICAO termed the final report on CAA’s website as incomprehensive with no logical flow to explain the plane crash. It lacks factual information to support the claims, sources said. ICAO experts also said that they were denied access to crucial information regarding the flight crew.

The new report mentions that CAA’s investigation does not mention information on the status and maintenance of navigation aids, including runway lights at the time the incident occurred. The foreign experts were told that the draft report included such information.

The international investigators have recommended that the SIB should be turned into an independent entity to avoid misinformation and bureaucratic influences.

Salient points of the ICAO report 

• The plane crashed after the pilot lost control

• The pilot was unable to correctly interpret the plane’s movement

• The CAA’s final report lacks vital information

• Foreign experts were denied flight crew information

• Information on maintenance of navigation aids is missing in the CAA’s report

• 15 safety recommendations were not in accordance with the ICAO’s guidelines

Published in The Express Tribune, November 10th, 2012.]]>
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			<title>Airblue crash: Reinvestigation report to be submitted to PHC soon</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/452530/airblue-crash-reinvestigation-report-to-be-submitted-to-phc-soon</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/452530/airblue-crash-reinvestigation-report-to-be-submitted-to-phc-soon#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Wed, 17 Oct 12 07:04:10 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[our.correspondent]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category><category><![CDATA[K-P]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=452530</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[CAA told to submit report before Nov 14.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[The International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) has completed reinvestigation into the AirBlue crash and the report has been submitted to the Ministry of Defence, the senior legal adviser for the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) informed the Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Tuesday.


Obaidur Rehman Abbasi, the CAA legal adviser, said the report will be shared with the PHC after it is handed over to the CAA soon.

A PHC division bench comprising Chief Justice (CJ) Dost Muhammad Khan and Justice Irshad Qaisar was hearing a petition filed by Pakistan Muslim League - Nawaz member Marvi Memon against Airblue, an airline company owned by a member of the political party.

The bench gave CAA 15 days to submit a copy of the report before the next hearing on November 14.

Meanwhile, the AirBlue management, through its attorney Latif Yousafzai, sought time from the court for the compensation of legal heirs of all crash victims, saying it needed time to verify some important documents submitted by the family members of a few victims.

However, Junaid Hamid, one of the legal heirs of an AirBlue crash victim, claimed that the airline administration is reluctant to pay compensation to the victims even after being given two reminders by the Sindh High Court on July 31 and August 31.

Airblue’s attorney reasoned that if the airline can pay Rs650 million to 110 legal heirs it can also compensate the remaining 40 families. He asked the bench to adjourn the case so that the administration can complete the verification process.

The bench adjourned the case and set the next hearing for November 14, observing that the case will not be adjourned again.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 17th, 2012.]]>
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			<title>Air Blue crash: Victims’ heirs asked to attach indemnity bonds</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/416639/air-blue-crash-victims%e2%80%99-heirs-asked-to-attach-indemnity-bonds</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/416639/air-blue-crash-victims%e2%80%99-heirs-asked-to-attach-indemnity-bonds#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Fri, 03 Aug 12 02:06:16 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[our.correspondent]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[K-P]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=416639</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Counsel informed media that 110 legal heirs of Air Blue crash victims had been compensated with Rs5 million.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[The Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Thursday issued instructions to the legal heirs of the Air Blue crash victims to attach indemnity bonds while producing successor certificates for claiming compensation.


PHC Chief Justice (CJ) Dost Muhammad Khan issued these instructions while hearing a writ petition filed by Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz’s (PML-N) Marvi Memon against the Air Blue administration.

Air Blue’s Counsel Waseem Sajjad and Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) Senior Law Officer Obaidur Rehman Abbasi were also present at the hearing.  The petitioner’s counsel, along with a number of legal heirs of the crash victims from different cities of the country were present as well.

Sajjad informed media persons that 110 legal heirs of the Air Blue crash victims had been compensated with Rs5 million, while the remaining 43 families would be awarded compensation soon.

CJ Khan ordered that all legal heirs of the plane crash victims should attach indemnity bonds to the successor certificates, so that the amount may be recovered in case of any false claim.

The case was adjourned till September 11. Meanwhile, sources within the CAA told The Express Tribune that the team of international experts investigating the Air Blue crash has requested access to a prior investigation into the crash carried out by a French engine manufacturer. They said the request made to the defence ministry has been approved, adding the experts would soon be given access to the the French company’s investigation.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 3rd, 2012.]]>
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			<title>Airblue crash: Company claims to have compensated 104 families</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/414562/airblue-crash-company-claims-to-have-compensated-104-families</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/414562/airblue-crash-company-claims-to-have-compensated-104-families#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Sun, 29 Jul 12 02:45:55 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=414562</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Cases of 31 victims is still being processed as company claims that report made public through their efforts.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[Airblue on Saturday claimed that 104 families of those passengers aboard the ill fated flight ED200 had been paid compensation, while the claims of 31 others were being processed.

As families gathered to pay respects on the second anniversary of the Airblue flight, which crashed into the Margalla Hills exactly two years ago, Airblue's Director (Commercial) Raheel Ahmed told media in Islamabad on Saturday that seven families of the victims have yet to file documents while cases of 10 others are pending due to litigation. 

Ahmed said that an Airblue employee had been dedicated to the family of each victim and the company staff had worked with full diligence to provide all possible assistance to the families.

"These employees will remain available to assist the families in future." 

He said that Airblue had been ensuring that the investigation report into the crash was completed in record time by providing material and financial assistance at each phase of the investigation.

"It was also ensured that the investigation report was made public, the first time that this has happened in Pakistan's aviation history. Airblue fully supported and assisted the legislative effort in parliament to pass a legislation, increasing the compensation payable for air accidents to Rs5 million," he added.

Airblue has also constructed an engraved memorial wall in Margalla Hills in remembrance of the victims.]]>
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			<title>Airblue crash anniversary: With painful memories, families remember victims</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/414409/airblue-crash-anniversary-with-painful-memories-families-remember-victims</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/414409/airblue-crash-anniversary-with-painful-memories-families-remember-victims#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Sat, 28 Jul 12 20:05:18 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[rabia.ali]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Sindh]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=414409</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[The families had gathered outside Jinnah International airport’s departure lounge to pay tribute to their loved ones.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[Minutes before the clock struck 9:40 am on Saturday, tears began trickling down the faces of those whose loved ones perished when the ill-fated Airblue flight to Islamabad, ED 202, crashed two years ago into the Margalla hills. The families had gathered outside Jinnah International airport’s departure lounge to pay tribute to their loved ones on their second death anniversary.


The tribute was organised by the Airblue Crash Affectees Group, who prayed for the victims as a cleric recited verses from the Holy Quran. A poster bearing the names of the victims was pinned on the wall behind them and a small Airblue office in front of them remained closed.

The families had brought flowers and portraits of their loved ones along with them.

The hustle bustle at the airport reminded some of them of the fateful July morning when they came to drop off their loved ones. Others recalled arriving later to depart for the capital to collect the bodies.

While talking to The Express Tribune, the families said that they are not satisfied with the investigation report released in April by the Civil Aviation Authority. Junaid Hamid, whose wife was a victim, said that there were loopholes in the report, which does not clearly depict what had happened. “We are still in the dark about what happened. We want a proper and correct report.” He added that 40 per cent families have yet to receive monetary compensation promised by Airblue. “The authorities blamed the Bhoja air crash on bad weather and the Airblue one on a pilot error. There have been 60 aviation mishaps in the country’s history, but the CAA has never made any of the reports public.”

The families said that they don’t want more crashes happening in the future. Haris Lodhi, who lost his mother in the incident, said that the group is trying to make air travel safer. He said that when he was dropping his mother off at the airport, she was extremely uneasy about flying. “Ammi promised that she would return in two days. I brought her body back after two days,” he said.

Murtaza Naqvi, whose daughter Rabab died in the crash, said that the most painful moment for him was when he found out there were no survivors. “Immediately after the crash, there were reports that some people had survived. We kept praying, wishing that one of them would be Rabab. I can’t explain what we went through when we found out that everybody had perished.”

Naqvi said that Rabab excelled at everything and was a member of the youth parliament. “She aspired to be a politician and bring change.” Rabab was pursuing a distance-learning degree in economics and finance.

Zarka Iftikhar had brought a wedding picture of her eldest child, Rumaisa, who was amongst the three newly-wed couples who were travelling on the ill-fated flight to Islamabad for a honeymoon. Rumaisa had gotten married to Owais on July 25, just three days before the crash. Their bodies were never found. Zarka said that her daughter loved weddings and arranged a perfect one for herself. “Rumaisa would attend every wedding, go to the stage and see the bride,” she said. “I really wish I had come to drop her at the airport and had one last glance,” added Zarka, as her voice quivered.

Rumaisa’s death devastated her family – her younger siblings no longer travel by air. “Families celebrate wedding anniversaries, but on Rumaisa’s, we were mourning her death,” said Zarka.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 29th, 2012.]]>
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			<title>Plane crash: Fresh AirBlue probe on cards</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/380645/plane-crash-fresh-airblue-probe-on-cards</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/380645/plane-crash-fresh-airblue-probe-on-cards#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Fri, 18 May 12 03:56:23 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[shaheryar.mirza]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Sindh]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=380645</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[International experts will screen CAA safety and security standards.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[A memorandum of understanding will be signed in the next ten days between the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) and the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) to commence a new investigation into the AirBlue crash that killed 146 passengers in July 2010, a reliable source in the CAA headquarters told The Express Tribune.


The Peshawar High Court ordered the government in January to constitute a new board to investigate the crash under domestic and international laws. The federal government has complied with the orders and the ICAO has agreed to come to the country to begin the investigation despite having just done an audit of the CAA in 2011.

The team of international experts will work together with a team of local civil aviation experts to conduct an audit of the CAA’s safety and security standards.

ICAO audits include a pre-audit, on-site, and post-audit phase. During this the CAA will be comprehensively screened on security and safety of planes, airworthiness, equipment use and every other element that goes into running the CAA.

The last safety audit that was taken in 2011 by the ICAO ranked the CAA at an impressive number ten out of a hundred countries with an eighty-nine percent rating. It is likely that the CAA’s rating will not fall after the following audit, the source said.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 18th, 2012.]]>
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			<title>2010 Airblue crash: Court temporarily suspends CAA chief</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/370057/2010-airblue-crash-court-temporarily-suspends-caa-chief</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/370057/2010-airblue-crash-court-temporarily-suspends-caa-chief#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Thu, 26 Apr 12 00:40:04 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[umer.farooq]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[K-P]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=370057</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[PHC serves contempt notices to Nadeem Khan Yousafzai and Nargis Sethi.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[It seems that the chief of the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), the country’s aviation regulator, had it coming after two horrific plane crashes in as many years that have collectively killed 279 people.


A fiery Peshawar High Court on Wednesday – as it resumed the hearing into the 2010 Airblue crash case – issued stern directives to the government to immediately suspend CAA Director-General Nadeem Khan Yousafzai until, in accordance with an earlier court order, an inquiry is completed by international experts into the airworthiness of domestic passenger aircraft as well as the probe into the recent Bhoja Air crash.

The court also served him a contempt of court notice, along with Defence and Cabinet Secretary Nargis Sethi, ordering them to appear in person on May 30 for ‘violating writ of the court’.

The PHC also issued a show-cause notice to Bhoja Air Managing Director Arshad Jalil and to the airline’s licencing authority.

On a writ petition, filed by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s (PML-N) Marvi Memon, PHC Chief Justice Dost Muhammad Khan was informed that the court orders to engage international experts to examine the airworthiness of aircraft of all domestic airlines, including state-owned Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), had been ignored.

“Since the order, dated January 19, 2012, no examination was conducted. If the court verdict had been respected, the [recent] Bhoja Air crash could have been averted,” Umer Farooq Aadam, counsel for families of Airblue crash victims, said.

“From factual circumstances available on record, we are of the view that the government of Pakistan’s defence secretary and the CAA DG appear to have committed contempt of court. Therefore, under Section 3 of the Contempt of Court Ordinance 2003, [they] shall submit their replies,” the order read.

CAA’s initial defence 

Obaidur Rehman Abbasi, CAA’s senior legal officer, told the court that a letter had been written to Mukhtar Awan, who represents Asia at the International Civil Aviation Organisation Headquarters in Montreal, Canada. “His reply has been received and they will soon be sending their experts. However, all aircraft have been examined by local experts.”

He reiterated that the CAA would not conceal facts from the court and could even produce audio records of the Airblue flight from its takeoff to its crash.

Afnan Kundi, attorney for the defence ministry which is the single largest shareholder in PIA, confirmed that ICAO’s reply had been received on April 12.

Dissatisfied still, Justice Khan said that the defence ministry took around two months to write to the ICAO which shows that the court orders were defied and citizens were treated as ‘Category C’ human beings. “The delay [in investigating the Airblue crash] was caused not only due to procedural impediments but also due to criminal negligence.”

Criticising Defence Minister Ahmed Mukhtar, the chief justice said that he should decide whether his position or the safety of citizens was more important to him.

AirBlue compensation

Meanwhile, an assistant to Airblue’s counsel Wasim Sajjad told the court that 107 of the 152 affected families had been compensated. He claimed that Rs5.5million had been given to the legal heirs.

“Thirty-four families are under litigation, two are unwilling to take the amount and two others cannot be compensated because of a personal dispute,” he said. No explanation was given for the remaining seven families. The chief justice remarked that the responsible Airblue persons should go door to door, apologise and present cross-cheques.

The court then gave Airblue 20 days to compensate all heirs, saying that in the event that the airline fails to comply with the order, the court will ask the federal government to suspend its activities and airport to withdraw all facilities to the airline.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 26th, 2012.]]>
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			<title>2010 AirBlue crash: PHC orders government to suspend CAA chief</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/369719/2010-airblue-crash-phc-orders-government-to-suspend-caa-chief</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/369719/2010-airblue-crash-phc-orders-government-to-suspend-caa-chief#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Wed, 25 Apr 12 10:32:40 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[umer.farooq]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=369719</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Director-general, defence secretary also issued contempt notices, told to appear in person on May 30.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[The Peshawar High Court on Wednesday issued orders to the federal government to suspend the director-general of the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).

As hearing resumed into the petitions filed by relatives of AirBlue Crash 2010 victims, the court said that CAA DG Nadeem Khan Yousafzai must remain suspended until, in accordance with an earlier court order, an inquiry is completed by international experts into the AirBlue crash and then into the recent Bhoja Air crash.

Citing Section 3 of the Contempt of Court Ordinance 2003, the court issued notices to Yousafzai and Defence Secretary Nargis Sethi for violating the court’s writ. They have been ordered to appear in person on May 30.

However, the court issued only a show-cause notice to Bhoja Air’s Managing Director Arshad Jalil, saying that since no representatives of the airline had appeared before the court, taking stricter action would not be correct.

An assistant to AirBlue Counsel Wasim Sajjad told the court that 107 of 152 affected families had been compensated and paid Rs5.5 million each.

However, a petitioner refuted the claim saying that he had presented all documents and certificates but was yet to receive any compensation.

The court then gave AirBlue 20 days to compensate all heirs, saying that in the event that the airline fails to comply with the order, the court will ask the federal government to suspend its activities and withdraw all facilities.

CAA releases crash report

The investigation report on the Airblue plane that crashed into Margalla Hills on July 28, 2010 was released by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) on Wednesday.

According to data recovered from the black box, the aircraft’s captain had ignored the air traffic controller’s suggestions several times.

The report concluded that the crash was a case of Controlled Flight into Terrain (CFIT), in which aircrew failed to display superior judgment and professional skills in a self-created unsafe environment.

In their pursuit to land in inclement weather, they committed serious violations of procedures and breaches of flying discipline, which put the aircraft in an unsafe condition over dangerous terrain at low altitude.

The complete report can be viewed here.]]>
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			<title>Despite PHC orders, fleets of airlines not examined</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/368220/despite-phc-orders-fleets-of-airlines-not-examined</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/368220/despite-phc-orders-fleets-of-airlines-not-examined#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Sun, 22 Apr 12 04:39:33 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[qaiser.zulfiqar]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category><category><![CDATA[K-P]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=368220</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[The court has discarded Airblue crash investigation; defence ministry issues a reinvestigation notification.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[It has been almost 20 months since Airblue flight ED-202 crashed in Islamabad’s Margalla hills, killing all 152 onboard, but the investigation report – including recommendations to avert such catastrophes in the future – has been found unsatisfactory by the Peshawar High Court (PHC).


The PHC, where the Airblue management is currently facing a legal battle from families of the victims, had directed the federal government to have inspected fleets of all domestic airliners, including Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) by international experts.

Three months have passed and the inspection has yet to take place. In the meantime, an ill-fated plane of Bhoja Air, the private airline which recently resumed operation after the 2001 financial crisis, crashed on the outskirts of Islamabad on Friday, killing all 127 passengers and crew aboard.

The defence ministry has issued a notification of reinvestigation of the Airblue crash and ordered an inspection of the fleets of all domestic airlines. The ministry also informed the PHC that a letter has been written to the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) to nominate experts for the task.

According to Obaid Abbasi, a law officer of the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), ICAO has forwarded the request of the Pakistani government to the UN secretary general for approval.

The defence ministry had submitted the investigation report on December 20, 2011 in the PHC. One of the reasons the court ordered that the investigation report be discarded was the negligent response of the authorities.

During the January 19 hearing, the PHC chief justice asked the president of the Safety Investigation Board of the CAA, Khawaja Majeed, in which container the Black Box of flight ED-202 was sealed. Majeed was ignorant of the methodology used for the preservation of the Black Box and could not give the court a satisfactory response.

As a result, the court rejected the report and passed an order available with The Express Tribune that said, “The investigation report submitted was found to be inconclusive and incomplete in many aspects because the interrogatories made from the officer and many aspects of the incident remained unsatisfied and unattended.”

The court ordered the federal government to constitute a competent and independent board of inquiry consisting of members and experts mentioned in the ICAO and Warsaw Convention.

The investigation report of Airblue, available with The Express Tribune, reveals that Khawja Majeed and his team had suggested some safety recommendations in the report to prevent such a disastrous crash in the future. Those suggestions included improved aircrew training, an implemented safety management system, prioritising the functionality of the new airport in Islamabad and a review of compensation regulations, among others.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 22nd, 2012.]]>
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			<title>2010 airplane crash: ‘AirBlue to compensate heirs only if cases are withdrawn’</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/356230/2010-airplane-crash-%e2%80%98airblue-to-compensate-heirs-only-if-cases-are-withdrawn%e2%80%99</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/356230/2010-airplane-crash-%e2%80%98airblue-to-compensate-heirs-only-if-cases-are-withdrawn%e2%80%99#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Wed, 28 Mar 12 04:45:42 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[umer.farooq]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category><category><![CDATA[K-P]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=356230</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[PHC tells heirs to file contempt of court plea against the airline.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[Budget airline AirBlue has decided to compensate heirs of the 2010 crash victims if they withdraw their lawsuits against the company, the petitioners’ counsel told Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Tuesday.


“AirBlue has communicated to petitioners that compensation will be given to them once they step down and cases are withdrawn from court,” Umer Farooq Aadam, who is representing the aggrieved families, told a divisional bench of the PHC, which is headed by Chief Justice Dost Muhammad Khan. He said that despite court orders, the company has not paid compensation, which is worth Rs5 million.

“File a contempt of court application and submit it,” the chief justice told Aadam, adding that the court will continue with the case until the heirs of the last victim were compensated.

Aadam told The Express Tribune that the airline’s administration, in order to protect 152 companies that can be held responsible for the crash, had also asked the heirs to sign a universal relief agreement, which bars them from filing a petition against these companies anywhere in the world.

PIA inspection

In an earlier hearing, CJ Khan had ordered the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) to arrange inspection of aircraft of national carrier Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) and other private companies and an examination of CAA’s own performance by experts from the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO). The order was passed over reports that many PIA planes were unsafe.

Abdul Rehman Abbasi, CAA’s senior law officer, informed the court on Tuesday that a letter has been sent to the ICAO to send a team of experts. “They (ICAO) have sought time to send a team but to avoid further delay in inspection of aircraft, we request that a retired senior judge of the high court be appointed to inspect PIA’s planes,” he said.

But the CJ said that foreign experts should inspect PIA aircraft. “Why are you apprehensive of foreign experts? We have received information that substandard spare parts are being used to replace damaged ones. We know that a company grounded 65 aircraft when one of its aircraft crashed,” he said.

Speaking about the AirBlue crash, Abbasi told the court that all transcripts, including that of the pilot’s conversation with the control tower, radar and co-pilot, were available and could be produced before the court.

DNA tests of crash victims

Many crash victims could not be identified despite DNA testing at KRL Hospital in the federal capital, an official of Islamabad’s Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences told the court on Tuesday.

However, Junaid Hamid, a relative of a crash victim told The Express Tribune that KRL had demanded Rs4.6 million from AirBlue for conducting the tests but the company refused and DNA tests were never conducted. The report offered to be produced before the court is fake, he said.

Ministry of defence

Thirty-seven of 84 applicants had been compensated while 22 cheques are ready for distribution, according to Tanveerul Islam, counsel for the defence secretary, who appeared before the court on Tuesday. He said the heirs were paid Rs0.5 million each.

Barrister Momin, who also represented the defence ministry, told The Express Tribune that the Sindh High Court had directed district and sessions judges to dispose of applications of all successors pertaining to the compensation case within ten days of the date the application is filed.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 28th, 2012.]]>
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			<title>AirBlue crash case: Defence ministry to carry out fresh probe</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/339960/airblue-crash-case-defence-ministry-to-carry-out-fresh-probe</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/339960/airblue-crash-case-defence-ministry-to-carry-out-fresh-probe#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Wed, 22 Feb 12 05:49:58 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[our.correspondent]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=339960</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Ministry secretaries fail to show up; court urges full compensation again.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[The defence ministry, while informing the Peshawar High Court about the progress of the AirBlue crash case, on Tuesday, said that it has directed the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) to carry out a new investigation.


The ministry of defence informed the court that in compliance with the last hearing of the court, the report will be compiled within 90 days.

A two-member bench, headed by PHC Chief Justice Dost Muhammad Khan, was hearing the case.

The federal government informed the court that a notification was issued for the probe and that within the next 24 hours, the defence ministry will nominate experts for a 10-member committee headed by foreign air crash investigation officers.

The defence ministry informed the court that it had taken Rs30 million in order to issue succession certificates of Rs500,000 each to compensate the heirs of the victims of the crash, adding that a letter was written to the registrars of Sindh High Court and Islamabad High Court to assign a senior civil judge each to issue the certificates within 15 days.

The defence ministry also told the court that it had earlier asked the ministry of finance to release the funds and was told to ask the Maritime Security Agency for it.

During the last hearing of the case, the PHC had termed the investigation ‘incomplete’. The petitioners of the case include former MNA Marvi Memon as well as victims’ families.

“It was directed that an extensive inquiry be carried out by an inquiry team headed by international experts,” Chief Justice Dost Muhammad Khan said, adding that the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) and the government of Pakistan shall have no control over the team that will now reinvestigate the tragedy.

Representatives for the ministries of defence and law appeared before the court. However, the secretaries for both ministries significantly remained absent – despite notices issued to both of them during the last hearing.

The chief justice said the government was asked to pay Rs.0.5 million while the AirBlue administration was to pay Rs5 million per family – the money is yet to be paid, however.

“These people have very little respect for the courts, nobody is working honestly in this country,” the CJ remarked.

“You’ve just come here on a pleasure trip. We can issue arrest warrants,” Justice Khan warned Javed Iqbal, a legal consultant for the law department.

The chief justice also said that the court had directed the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) to get ICAO experts to check all aircraft, since many of the planes in use are outdated and there are reports that they are unsafe. These are yet to be checked.

“This is a matter of grave concern and if any mishap occurs, the government and authorities will be responsible,” Justice Khan remarked.

DNA tests

The petitioners’ counsel informed the court that Pakistan Institute of Medical Science (PIMS) had conducted DNA tests after which all the bodies of the victims had been buried in a single grave. He added that PIMS had referred the petitioners to Kahuta Research Laboratories (KRL) for conducting further tests. The KRL administration, however, asked for a sum of Rs4.5 million to carry out the job.

The PHC summoned the PIMS chief executive for the next hearing and ordered the government and AirBlue administration to bear all the charges for conducting the DNA tests.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 22nd, 2012.]]>
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			<title>AirBlue crash: New probe to be carried out, Defence Ministry tells PHC</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/339637/airblue-crash-new-probe-to-be-carried-out-defence-ministry-tells-phc</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/339637/airblue-crash-new-probe-to-be-carried-out-defence-ministry-tells-phc#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Tue, 21 Feb 12 09:58:38 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[web.desk]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=339637</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Defence Ministry informs court that report will be compiled within 90 days.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[The Defence Ministry, while informing the Peshawar High Court about the progress of the AirBlue crash on Tuesday, said that it has directed the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) to carry out a new investigation.

The Ministry of Defence informed the court that in compliance with the last hearing of the court, the report will be compiled within 90 days.

A two-member bench headed by Chief Justice PHC Dost Muhammad Khan was hearing the case.

The federal government informed the court that a notification was issued for the probe and that within the next 24 hours, the Defence Ministry will nominate experts for a 10-member committee headed by foreign air crash investigation officers.

The Defence Ministry informed the court that it had taken Rs30 million in order to issue succession certificates of Rs500,000 each to compensate the heirs of the victims of the crash, adding that a letter was written to the registrars of Sindh High Court and Islamabad High Court to assign a senior civil judge from each court to issue the certificates within 15 days.

The Defence Ministry also told the court that it had earlier asked the Ministry of Finance to release the funds and was told to ask the Maritime Security Agency for it.

Earlier, in December, the PHC had ordered AirBlue that compensation of Rs5 million should be made to each family within the deadline ending on March 20.

Representatives of AirBlue informed the court that till now, families of 72 victims have been compensated and 10 people more will be compensated soon, adding that the remaining 56 people who have sued AirBlue for higher claims will only be compensated once they withdraw the cases filed against the airline.

The PHC observed that the remaining heirs should be compensated regardless of the cases.

The court also directed AirBlue and Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS), carrying out the DNA tests, that all the reports should be presented before the court in the next hearing on March 27.

The PHC had rejected the inquiry report conducted by the CAA and had termed it ‘incomplete.’ The court had also issued contempt notices to federal secretaries for law and defence for their failure to meet court orders in the case.

The case was filed by MNA Marvi Memon and the victims’ families which had said that the interrogation seemed unsatisfactory and unattended from many aspects.

(With additional reporting from our correspondent Azam Khan.)]]>
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			<title>Rejection of CAA’s Airblue report</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/324597/rejection-of-caa%e2%80%99s-airblue-report</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/324597/rejection-of-caa%e2%80%99s-airblue-report#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Fri, 20 Jan 12 16:29:58 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[editorial]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Editorial]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=324597</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[If the PHC continues on its crusade, justice, both emotional and financial, may finally prevail.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[More than a year after the Airblue crash in the Margalla Hills that killed all those on board, the only thing that the families of the victims have which may ensure justice is the tenacity of the Peshawar High Court (PHC). In December 2011, the PHC, for the first time in Pakistan’s history, was able to force the authorities to release a crash report. Now, the authorities have rejected the findings of the report as incomplete and error-ridden and have demanded a new report that uses international experts for greater transparency. Had it not been for the court, the authorities would have blamed the crash entirely on pilot error and left it at that. But now there is a chance, however slim, that we will know for certain if the pilot was the only one at fault.

The Airblue crash report did at times read like a cover-up rather than a true investigation. The report described the young, inexperienced co-pilot as someone who was too scared to contradict the senior pilot, even though he knew that the latter was endangering the lives of the passengers. It seems scarcely believable that the co-pilot would fear a dressing-down from the pilot more than he would the possibility of losing his own life. The report also claimed that both the pilot and co-pilot were not fasting, hence their reflexes and concentration were not affected. How they came about this information is not revealed. Also, missing from the report, or at least the version of it released to the public, is the full transcript of the cockpit voice recorder and digital flight data recorder. These may shed some light on the causes of the crash and so need to be released for public scrutiny.

The PHC, meanwhile, is ensuring that it is not only Airblue but the entire aviation industry that is held accountable. It has directed PIA to prove that its aircraft are safe — a review that is sorely needed after a spate of recent incidents. The court is also taking a proactive role in ensuring that Airblue pays compensation to all families of the victims. Thus far, Airblue has only paid out compensation if recipients have agreed not to pursue further damages in court. If the PHC continues on its crusade, justice, both emotional and financial, may finally prevail.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 21st, 2012.]]>
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			<title>Delayed arrival: Pilot blamed for AirBlue crash</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/298690/delayed-arrival-pilot-blamed-for-airblue-crash</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/298690/delayed-arrival-pilot-blamed-for-airblue-crash#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Mon, 28 Nov 11 04:07:46 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[express]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=298690</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Investigation report will be released on December 15, says defence minister.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[A year and a half after the tragic AirBlue plane crash, the public will finally learn why the disaster happened.

Defence Minister Chaudhry Ahmad Mukhtar exclusively told The Express Tribune that the investigation report of the deadliest air accident in Pakistan’s history will be released on December 15. According to Mukhtar, the captain of the plane, Pervez Iqbal Chaudhry, has been held responsible for the crash. “It was a pilot error, you will see yourself in the report,” the minister said.

AirBlue flight ED-202 crashed in the Margalla Hills, north of Islamabad, on July 28, 2010, killing all 146 passengers and 6 crew members on board.

The minister said a transcript of communication between Pervez and the first officer Muntajib Ahmad, who was a former Pakistan Air Force pilot, will be issued with the report. It shows that the two men disagreed over landing the plane.

On the day of the crash, Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani promised the nation that the cause of the accident would be found out. The PM asked the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) to investigate.

According to Mukhtar, the report was completed by the CAA team and handed over to the defence ministry, which in turn submitted it to Gilani. The PM then sent it to the manufacturer for their comments.

When asked about the delay in publication, the minister said the course of law was being followed. Following the investigation, the manufacturer submits its comments within 60 days; the PM can make the report public only after this process is complete. Mukhtar added that the manufacturer has returned the report.

Familes of those who lost their lives in the crash have been eagerly waiting the report’s findings. With the support of a few victims’ family members, former parliamentarian Marvi Memon had moved the Peshawar High Court to ground all AirBlue flights until the government made the report public. That court conducted several hearings, but the government successfully held them off and delayed publicising the report.

Ultimately, PHC’s chief justice Ijaz Afzal Khan on November 16 warned the government of serious consequences if the report was not submitted in court by December 20. Following his firm line, Justice Khan was promoted to the Supreme Court.

Junaid Hamid, who lost his wife in the crash and convened the AirBlue Crash Affectees Group, was of the view that it is the fundamental right guaranteed under article 19,A of the constitution that victim’s families know the cause of the accident.

Hamid said the Sindh High Court had also ordered the government in November last year to make the report public, but its order was never implemented. He said he had high expectations from the new chief justice of PHC, Justice Dost Muhammad Khan, a man with a reputation for following through on court orders.

Hamid termed the defence minister’s announcement a political gimmick. He said the government wants to take credit for making the report public before December 20, rather than issuing it due to the PHC’s new chief justice’s order.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 28th, 2011.

&nbsp;]]>
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			<title>Airblue crash: Peshawar High Court gives govt 35 days to submit report</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/293197/airblue-crash-peshawar-high-court-gives-govt-35-days-to-submit-report</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/293197/airblue-crash-peshawar-high-court-gives-govt-35-days-to-submit-report#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Thu, 17 Nov 11 04:40:25 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[K-P]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=293197</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[The court is hearing a petition filed by former MNA Marvi Memon.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[The Peshawar High Court has given 35 days to the government to submit an inquiry report into the deadly Airblue plane crash.


A bench, comprising PHC Chief Justice Ejaz Afzal Khan and Justice Yahya Afridi, passed these orders on Wednesday after Deputy Attorney-General Iqbal Mohmand requested an extension of four months to complete the inquiry that he said was under process. “Technical and legal opinion of the company that manufactured the plane has been sought in order to make the report more comprehensive,” he said.

The case was later adjourned till December 20.
On July 28 last year, an Airblue plane en route to Islamabad from Karachi crashed into the Margalla Hills, killing all 152 people, including passengers and crew members, on board.

Former MNA Marvi Memon subsequently filed a writ petition on behalf of the victims’ families and prayed that the court direct the government to constitute an independent board of inquiry to determine and make public the cause of the crash.

The petition lists as respondents the federation of Pakistan, the defence ministry, the National Disaster Management Authority, Civil Aviation Authority, Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences, the interior ministry and the Capital Development Authority.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 17th, 2011.]]>
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			<title>Airblue crash: Almost half of families yet to receive compensation</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/230818/airblue-crash-almost-half-of-families-yet-to-receive-compensation</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/230818/airblue-crash-almost-half-of-families-yet-to-receive-compensation#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Sat, 13 Aug 11 19:02:22 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[express]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category><category><![CDATA[Business]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=230818</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[PIA achieved double-digit growth in revenue in last two years.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[Airblue GM (Commercial) Raheel Ahmed said on Saturday that the families of 63 out of 138 passengers, who died in the Airblue plane crash last year, had received Rs5 million each in compensation.


Speaking at a conference on “Aviation and Travel Industry: Promoting a Soft Image of Pakistan” organised by Investment and Marketing Conferences, Ahmed said that the delay in compensation for the rest of the families was because of legal reasons. “Families of the crash victims are required to produce a certificate of succession to receive compensation,” he said.

Airblue Flight 202 crashed on July 28, 2010, near Islamabad, killing 138 passengers and six crew members.

Ahmed said that Airblue had received certificates of succession from 73 families. “It takes three to four weeks for a family to receive the compensation package once it has submitted the certificate of succession,” he said.

Ahmed said that Airblue also helped many families with Rs50,000 because they couldn’t afford to engage a lawyer to get the certificate of succession from court.

Ahmed said that immediately after the crash, Airblue had paid 132 families Rs550,000 each as “initial compensation.” The rest of the families approached Airblue through their attorneys, he said. “We thought initial compensation was necessary, especially for the families that needed immediate monetary help,” he said.

He criticised the media for sensationalising the crash and spreading what he called “conspiracy theories.”

He said that after 9/11, Americans turned fire-fighters into heroes for their brave response to the tragedy. He expressed his disappointment that the Pakistani media didn’t report the efforts of rescue workers who reached the site of the crash in the absence of a vertical trail.

Speaking on the occasion, PIA Deputy Managing Director Salim Sayani said that despite poor law and order, floods and other difficulties, PIA achieved double-digit growth in revenue in the last two years.

However, he said, the profit margin declined in the same period. “Business person don’t travel in and out of Pakistan anymore,” he said.

Sayani said that the number of tourists travelling to Pakistan decreased after the 9/11 attacks. “Out of PIA’s seven million passengers, only 100,000 are pure tourists. In 2000, PIA had one million passengers who could be described as tourists. In 2010, the number declined to 100,000,” he said.

He said that India had a 48 per cent share in the regional tourism industry. He attributed the success of India’s tourism industry to its “meticulous” marketing strategy. He added that the Maldives entertained 200 per cent more tourists than Pakistan.

Irfan Ahmed, CEO of chutti.pk, Pakistan’s first travel and tour portal, said Egypt had set aside $50 million to promote tourism this year and a substantial part of it would be spent online. “The message is that Tahrir Square is over. Tourists should come back,” he said.

 

Published in The Express Tribune, August 14th, 2011.]]>
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			<title>Closer to closure?: Airblue crash report presented to PM</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/223708/closer-to-closure-airblue-crash-report-presented-to-pm</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/223708/closer-to-closure-airblue-crash-report-presented-to-pm#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Thu, 04 Aug 11 05:40:06 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[agencies]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=223708</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Gilani approves its dispatch to countries of manufacture and design.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[In what may be conjectured a rare sign of progress, the Civil Aviation Authority’s (CAA) safety investigation board presented the investigation report of Airblue flight ED-202 to Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani on Wednesday and briefed him in detail about the events that led to the crash on July 28, 2010.


The prime minister approved the dispatch of the investigation report for comments to the countries of manufacture and design of the aircraft – a requirement of the International Civil Aviation Organisation. Comments from these countries are to be received within a period of 60 days.

“While we wait for comments from concerned states, necessary safety-related directives must be issued to ensure safety of lives and equipment,” the prime minister said.

He expressed concern over the slow pace of compensation to affected families and asked for the process to be expedited.

Defence Minister Chaudhry Ahmad Mukhtar, Defence Secretary Lt-Gen (retd) Athar Ali, Deputy Chief of Air Staff (Operations) Air Mar­shal Muhammad Hasan, Additional Secretary Defence Maj-Gen Raja Arif Nazir and DG CAA Air Marshal (retd) Khalid Chaudhry
also attended the presentation.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 4th, 2011.]]>
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			<title>Airblue: The boy who lived</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/218439/airblue-the-boy-who-lived</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/218439/airblue-the-boy-who-lived#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Sun, 31 Jul 11 08:53:20 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[anam.mansuri]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category><category><![CDATA[Magazine]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=218439</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[On 28th July last year, at 7:50 am, Alvi was scheduled to be on board Air-Blue flight ED-202...]]>
			</description>
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				<![CDATA[Shamas-ur-Rehman Alvi should be dead. But he isn’t. This evening he sits uneasily in his Karachi living room as he remembers the morning that he got a second chance at life. The six foot tall, slim twenty-five year old runs his free hand through his hair nervously before he painstakingly begins to recreate the events of a day that he has tried hard to forget, simply for the sake of moving on with his life — a life that should have been cut short, but miraculously continues.

On 28th July last year, at 7:50 am, Alvi was scheduled to be on board Air-Blue flight ED-202, on his way to Islamabad to attend the last session of the Youth Parliament of Pakistan. At 9:25 am, the flight, which carried 152 passengers including five children, two infants and six crew members, crashed near Islamabad in the Margalla Hills. There were no survivors.

When the flight’s passenger list became public, Alvi’s name began surfacing on news channels and websites. He was included in the list of victims of the crash, and everyone thought he was dead.

It seems like Alvi still finds it difficult to accept that he isn’t. “I have calculated the odds of not boarding a flight that is going to crash again and again and again. They are close to zero,” says Alvi slowly. “The probability is less than getting attacked by a shark and surviving.

The night before the crash, Alvi sat with his parents, talking about the session of the Youth Parliament of Pakistan he was flying to Islamabad to attend along with nine of his fellow parliamentarians. It was going to be an exciting session, this last one, since it was to be attended by some of the country’s most prominent ministers and ambassadors, including prominent politicians such as Ahsan Iqbal, Shahbaz Sharif and Raza Rabbani.

But Alvi couldn’t shake an odd feeling about his trip to the capital, a feeling he’d been having ever since he first received his ticket in the mail two days before the flight. “I had such a strong feeling that I wasn’t going to take this flight,” he says. “I was hesitant, hesitant to the point that… I don’t know how I can describe this… but I just knew I wasn’t going to take that flight,” says Alvi, “In fact I kept on telling myself : ‘I can’t take it’.”

Looking back, he feels like he kept inventing reasons to stay in Karachi. He didn’t want to leave his father, who is also his boss at Alvi Petroleum, to handle their family business by himself. “But he insisted I had to go. ‘Don’t worry about work, just get on that flight’,” he told me,” says Alvi.But fate had other plans.

The morning of the crash, Alvi opened his eyes at 8 am. He realised he had missed his flight and was sure that he would start getting calls at noon from his friends at the parliament session when they noticed he was missing.  On his way to work he grabbed his plane ticket and put it in his pocket. Alvi reached work at 9:30 am and logged onto a news website, only to see a item about a plane crash near the Margalla Hills.

“I was shocked, but not even for a second did I consider that this could be the same plane I had missed,” he says. The very next minute, his phone rang, and it was Khizer Pervaiz, a fellow parliamentarian who had also missed his flight to attend a meeting. “He heard my voice and started to cry,” says Alvi. “I remember exactly what he said, very clearly: ‘They’re all dead!’” All of Alvi’s fellow parliamentarians, along with the other hapless passengers on that flight, had become victims of a deadly plane crash.

After taking Pervaiz’s call, Alvi went straight home. He walked into his house to find his father a tearful mess, muttering apologies amidst his sobs. “He remembered how he kept insisting that I board the flight,” recalled Alvi, “and it broke my heart to see him like that.”

For Alvi, the next few days were a bit like dying but coming back to attend his own funeral. “My close friends said they did not have the courage to pick up the phone and call me and see if I would answer or not,” he says, “and I kept thinking about what my parents would have gone through if I had died.”

But this was not the only conflict Alvi had to deal with. While he was being strong for his friends and family, Alvi was also dealing with survivor’s guilt and grief for his friends’ deaths. Alvi was painfully aware that he was alive, perhaps, for no other reason than that he could afford to miss his flight that day.

“The tickets were free for us, sent to us by the government. If we wanted to change our dates or work around our schedule, we had to pay an additional Rs1,200. If you deliberately missed a flight, you had to pay for the cost of the ticket out of your own pocket as a penalty. I come from a wealthy family; I didn’t really care about how much I would have to pay if I missed the flight, but the others didn’t have that luxury. In fact, I remember that once Bilal Jung’s trip was clashing with his exams, and he went out of his way to get his exam dates changed so that he would not have to miss the flight and pay the penalty fee.”

A couple of months ago, Alvi made his way to the Karachi Marriott, where the Youth Parliament held a memorial for those who had lost their lives in the crash. He knew that the parents of his deceased friends would be attending. He was soberly dressed and had an excellent speech prepared, but as he got closer to the venue, fear overtook him. How many of these parents would wonder, when they looked at him, why Alvi got to live and their child didn’t? As he entered the room, Alvi’s eye fell on the stage, where six photographs hung against the backdrop, and a row of parents sat before them. Alvi knew that his own picture could easily have been up there, and his own parents could have been seated on that platform.

However, when he met his friends’ parents, they were very warm to him, and told him that they had heard all about him from their children. Realising that he had benefited from knowing his friends, even for a short time, helped release some of Alvi’s grief, even though the emotion, along with anger, still resurfaces now and then.

“I don’t know what I’m angry at,” says Alvi. “But I am just so angry. Angry at a force I cannot control, some call it fate, some say it’s the pilot’s fault and some call it an error.”

Alvi is silent for a while and then adds: “I’ve lost six friends. I’m angry because it wasn’t their fault. I’m angry because they were harmless, upstanding bright Pakistanis who believed in a better Pakistan. I felt this desire emanate from them because I worked with them, and this anger will not subside for a while.” 

Published in The Express Tribune, Sunday Magazine, July 31st,  2011.]]>
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			<title>Airblue: Awaiting answers</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/218438/airblue-awaiting-answers</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/218438/airblue-awaiting-answers#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Sun, 31 Jul 11 08:52:15 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[zahid.gishkori]]>
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			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category><category><![CDATA[Magazine]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=218438</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[The questions that an entire nation is awaiting answers for – have been met with silence.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[It was the worst-ever air disaster in Pakistan’s history. On the morning of 28th July 2010, Airblue flight Ed-202 took off as scheduled from Karachi’s Jinnah international airport, heading to Islamabad. It never reached its destination. Instead, the ill-fated Airbus A321 crashed into the fog-shrouded Margalla hills, killing all aboard.

Families were shattered, and a nation mourned the loss of so many lives in a single, tragic moment. For days and weeks, , the cause of the crash was hotly debated in print and on TV as expert after expert weighed in on what they thought had happened. Soon after the disaster, interior minister Rehman Malik promised a full investigation, a claim that was repeated by government officials time and again. A full report would be issued they said.

But over a year later, the questions of families of the victims - questions that an entire nation is awaiting answers for – have been met with silence.

So what happened to the much-awaited report?

Air Commodore Abdul Majeed, President of the Civil Aviation Agency’s Safety Investigation Board and head of the investigation team which compiled the report on the Air Blue crash says the report has been sent to the Ministry of Defence.

“After collecting evidence, a seven-member team compiled the investigation report, but its findings couldn’t be made public yet,” he said. CAA spokesperson Pervez George adds, “We have done our work. Now, the ball is in the Defence Ministry’s court.”

Defence Ministry officials admit that the CAA, after finalizing the inquiry report, handed it over to Defence Minister Ahmed Mukhtar some two and a half months back, after which the Defence Ministry made its own additions to the report.

Mukhtar, for his part, says the same report will be duly handed over to the Prime Minister. However, in a meeting with Premier Gilani, Mukhtar reportedly warned him about the possibility of a serious backlash and ‘negative consequences’ if the report was made public. Interestingly, Mukhtar also warned the Prime Minister that releasing the report would lead to more conspiracy theories – as if keeping the report secret would not have the exact same effect. Thus far, conspiracy theories are all the public has had: from claims that the plane was headed to Kahuta to even wilder theories about Blackwater and terrorism.

So what could be the reason for keeping the report under wraps? A senior official of the Prime Minister House, speaking on condition of anonymity, has an explanation to offer. He says that if the negligence of the operator or the concerned authorities is clearly established in the report, then the compensation amount would increase manifold. “Perhaps it is due to this reason in the last 60 years that no investigation report has been made public in Pakistan,” he says.

Privately, officials of the CAA, the Ministry of Defence, the Pakistan Navy and the Pakistan Air Force say that the report on the incident will indeed be handed over to the Prime Minister within two months. “After that point,” says a spokesperson of the Defence Ministry, “Gilani will be the ultimate authority who decides whether the report is made public or not.”

For several weeks, The Express Tribune has tried to get official statements from the Defence Minister and other concerned officials as to why the mystery has lasted for so long, but all inquiries have been met with silence. The issue is too ‘sensitive’ to discuss, they say.

&nbsp;

Is this how air crash investigations are meant to be carried out?

A CAA expert told The Express Tribune that air crash accidents are investigated under the Rules &amp; Regulations of the Chicago Convention of 1944. Usually, an independent accident investigation body is constituted, such as the National Transport Safety Board (NTSB) in the United States of America. Manufacturers of the aircraft and its various components are usually entitled to act as observers and the draft report may also be shared with them for comments. Quoting some past examples, he said that first interim reports are issued followed by a final one. For example, the details of the investigation of Air France Flight 447 which crashed in the Atlantic Ocean in 2009 Paris can be found on the website of the French Bureau d’Enquetes et d’Analyse (BEA), he added.

The BEA is also the same body that was approached for decoding the black box of flight Ed-202. A Pakistani team headed by Air Commodore Abdul Majeed had visited Paris for this purpose last year. The sole objective of the technical investigation is to collect and analyse useful information, to determine the circumstances and the certain or possible causes of the accident or incident. However, CAA officials are tight-lipped about the BEA’s findings, which we know have been handed over to them and included in the final report which was submitted to the Ministry. Officials of the Defence Ministry, including Minister Ahmed Mukhtar did not speak on the issue saying, “Please give us sometime to compile the findings first. Then, we will speak on the issue and share some findings.”

&nbsp;

No answers, only anger

For the families of the victims of the crash, that is cold comfort indeed. In the absence of answers, they have only anger.

“We have lost all hope,” says Colonel Shafiq, whose young son lost his life in the crash. “Airblue and the bureaucracy have managed to hoodwink all those institutions that were supposed to be providing us justice,” he says with obvious anger in his voice. Col Shafiq claims that Airblue is trying to hush up the matter by blaming the pilot, a man who cannot defend himself. How could a man with forty years of flying experience make such a fatal mistake, he asks? Grasping for answers he questions why the plane instruments didn’t warn the pilot of the proximity of the ground. He wonders out loud if the airline ordered the pilot to continue in bad weather rather than diverting the flight, which would have led to increased costs for the airline. He has many questions, but in the absence of answers, all he can do is lay blame.

And there is plenty of blame to go around. Eight members of Muhammad Zaman’s family were on board the flight when it crashed. In a tragic irony, they had been en route to Abbotabad to attend the funeral of a relative. For Muhammad Zaman, it is the pilot who is most likely at fault.

“The pilot was fatigued as he had been up the entire night of Shab-e-Barat, despite having received the mandatory twelve-hour warning that he had to fly the next day,” he claims.

For Syed Qaiser Zulfiqar, whose little brother Syed Haider Zulfiqar lost his life in this crash, the governments’ seeming apathy is a call to arms. Along with other victims’ family members, Zulfiqar has joined an association named the Air Blue Crash Affectees Group (ACAG) in an effort to seek justice, and get answers.

“The system in our country is hopeless,” says Zulfiqar. “We have launched our struggle to change the course of aviation history in Pakistan. We are demanding the publication of the investigation reports and the DNA test reports and inshallah we will succeed,” he says with conviction.

Regardless of how they deal with their grief, the victims’ family members are nearly unanimous when it comes to condemning the handling of the crash by both Airblue and the government.

They say no transport facilities were provided to the affected families to reach the crash site or even to transport the dead bodies to their final abode. The inefficiency and apathy of the authorities was such that a Pakistan International Airlines flight in which the kith and kin of 12 victims were being transported to Karachi remained stranded at Islamabad Airport for over ten hours, recalled a relative of Ajmal Khan, who lost his life in this crash.

Others have even more harrowing tales to tell. “In my case, even after the recovery of his NIC, driving license, ATM card, E-ticket and baggage tag, the corpse of my son Hassan Adeel was declared unidentified and his belongings were pillaged,” says Col (Retd) Shamim.

Nor was there any control over looting and pilferage at the crash site itself. Unconfirmed reports and rumours have it that the lower staff of Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) did not even hesitate from fleecing the families of some victims on the pretext of paying the cost of coffin boxes, Shamim added.

&nbsp;

Compensation, confusion and controversy

Initially, three separate compensations were announced for the victims’ families. One was by the government on the eve of July 28, 2010, amounting to Rs 0.5 million each. The second was the interim relief announced by Airblue and then the final compensation of Rs five million by Airblue.

In all, Airblue has paid Rs 550,000 to all 146 families as an interim relief. More than fifty families also accepted Rs five million offered by Airblue as final compensation but the rest went to the court to get compensation in accordance with international laws. Regarding the compensation announced by the Prime Minister, only the families of some 48 victims have been paid so far. Families of the victims claims that the government has imposed restrictions on the submission of succession certificate for claiming this amount, which is a lengthy legal process and many families have simply not been able to complete it.

“I know of a family which lost eight relatives in the accident and the court is demanding a surety bond to the tune of Rs40 million to issue the succession certificate. It is also worth checking how true it is that the government and Air Blue have divided the inbuilt insurance of Rs1million among themselves rather than paying it from their own exchequer,” says Syed Ali, a victim’s relative.

&nbsp;

Seeking justice

Last year, bereaved families knocked on the doors of the Supreme Court of Pakistan requesting the Chief Justice to take suo moto notice of the accident, and ensure an independent and transparent investigation. Some affected persons also filed a suit in the Sindh High Court (SHC) for holding an independent and transparent investigation, following which the federation’s assured the court that the government will ensure a fair investigation. Disposing of the suit, the SHC in its judgment on Oct 25, 2010 directed the government to complete the investigation and submit report within two months. It is now July 2011 and no report has been submitted.

Former MNA Marvi Memon took up the cause of the bereaved families and raised the issue on the floor of the National Assembly. She also filed a suit with the Peshawar High Court on December 2010, requesting for an independent and transparent investigation and the subsequent publication of the report. This court also directed the authorities to submit the report forthwith after which the court would decide what contents to make public and then fix the next date for hearing. “The publication of this report will give the victims’ families hope for justice,” says Ms Memon.

But thus far that hope has remained unfulfilled. The court orders have been seemingly ignored and no answers are forthcoming from either the government or Airblue as to the cause of the crash. In desperation, aggrieved families looked towards the Parliament and submitted a petition to the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Human Rights in June 2011, requesting for an independent and transparent investigation and a public report. The Committee summoned the then Additional Secretary Defense Syed Athar Ali and Director General CAA Nadeem Yousufzai on June 29, 2011. Additional Secretary Defense Rear Admiral Shah Sohail informed the Committee that the investigation has been completed and that action on the report will be taken as it is presented to the Prime Minister. “I directed the official concerned to submit a copy of report to the committee weeks back but they have not submitted the report yet,” says Riaz Fatiyana, chairman of the committee, “but I will continue to fight for rights of victim families until the last moment.” He claims the CAA officials will submit their final report to the committee by August 14.

But as they wait, the families of the victims wonder if this too will be yet another unfulfilled promise. The ball is now in the Prime Minister’s court, and it remains to be seen if the truth will ever be revealed. 

Published in The Express Tribune, Sunday Magazine, July 31st,  2011.]]>
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			<title>An air crash and its aftermath</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/219956/an-air-crash-and-its-aftermath</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/219956/an-air-crash-and-its-aftermath#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Fri, 29 Jul 11 17:45:32 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[editorial]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Editorial]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=219956</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[The company must, for the sake of its own business, take great care of the affectees.]]>
			</description>
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				<![CDATA[Airblue flight ED 202 crashed into the hills of Islamabad last year on July 28 and on the occasion of its first anniversary, the families bereaved by its death toll of 152 gathered at the crash site to pray and dwell on the government’s effort to get to the bottom of the tragic mishap. As in the case of all such accidents, the people deserve to know what caused the plane to crash. The statements aired by TV channels by affected families expressed dissatisfaction with various aspects of the affair.

A section of the affectees who received compensation were not happy with the amount; others wanted to know why the investigation report into the mishap had not been made public by the government despite receiving it in March this year. The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), which is in charge of the investigation, thinks that there was no bar on Islamabad to release the report. The report submitted by the CAA in March is now reportedly with the ministry of defence (the authority’s parent ministry), but it was with the CAA for a year, which means that there is an institutional hesitation about revealing all the facts for public consumption.

The CAA, keen to assure the affectees that it had done its job, says that “all aspects of the incident have been analysed” but does not say what the report considers responsible for the crash: Pilot error or a technical malfunction. It is clear that despite its right to reveal this information, the government is waiting for some answers about the manufacture and design of the plane from the companies — located in France, Germany and the US — from whom the plane had been purchased. It is curious that the CAA still claims the government could release the report. It must know that without the view of international experts from these leading companies, the report can be termed ‘interim’ and not complete.

The International Civil Aviation Organisation, of which the CAA is a member, says “that the state conducting the investigation should release the final report in the shortest possible time and, if possible, within 12 months of the incident”. Hence there must be important reasons why the government doesn’t want to jump the gun without first being fortified by the international professional view of the crash.

The plane was an Airbus A321, belonging to Airblue, which one could say is Pakistan’s second biggest airline after PIA, itself in considerable financial trouble. The report on the crash must consider the business side of the case if too excessive an alarm is created over it. Means of transport in Pakistan are shrinking after the near-death of the railways. Removal of public trust from the airlines will simply complicate the situation. According to an Airblue handout, the crashed plane was manufactured in 2000 and bought in 2006 — which is quite normal — had flown 34,000 flight hours and apparently hit by lightning while flying over Turkey, but cleared to fly thereafter. The Islamabad loss was the company’s first crash and second write-off, the first one following a ground mishap.

There are two aspects to the situation. One is that all steps should be taken to ensure that the mishap is examined threadbare and the operator made aware that his business is under strict scrutiny demanding failsafe observance of safety regulations. The other is the satisfaction provided to the bereaved families of those who lost their lives in the accident. The company must, for the sake of its own business, take great care of the affectees. It is quite possible that after it acquits itself with distinction in this case, its business may actually improve because of a better level of public trust. It should devote itself more diligently to maintaining its contact with the families of the dead. It will not cost much but it will redound to the advantage of the company. The government’s attitude is not punitive towards the company, and that is the right course. The future of air travel in Pakistan is in the private sector and a good beginning must be made now.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 30th,  2011.]]>
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			<title>Airblue crash probe: ‘Govt could release report if it wanted’</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/219104/airblue-crash-one-year-later-investigation-report-submitted-to-govt</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/219104/airblue-crash-one-year-later-investigation-report-submitted-to-govt#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Fri, 29 Jul 11 04:24:46 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Salman Siddiqui]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=219104</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Report has been with defence ministry since March.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[If the government wanted, it could release the investigation report into the Airblue crash – which has been complete for months – without waiting for comments from international aviation companies, officials of the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) told The Express Tribune.


The investigation report into the Airblue flight ED 202 crash has been pending with the ministry of defence since March 2011, a senior CAA official said on the condition of anonymity. According to the official, a CAA team carried out an investigation and submitted its report to the ministry of defence in March.

Interestingly, the CAA just announced the submission of its investigation report into the Airblue tragedy to the federal government on Thursday – the first anniversary of the Airblue crash.

A press release issued by CAA suggested that all aspects of the incident have been analysed, although nothing specific to the contents of the inquiry report, such as why the plane crashed or whether any responsibility has been determined, was mentioned.

However, the statement clearly states that the report will not yet be released: “The investigation report will be released on the receipt of comments from State of Manufacture and State of design namely BEA-France, Airbus France, NTSB-USA, IAE-USA and BFU Germany.”

Yet CAA officials tried to pass the buck on the government and insisted that if the government wanted, it could release the report without waiting for comments from international aviation companies.

Legal experts, however, point out that it was odd that the CAA was claiming the report was ‘complete’ when, in fact, comments and possible objections from the leading aviation companies have not been included. They said that without the view of international experts from these leading companies, the report can be termed ‘interim’ and not complete.

Aviation law expert Shah Murad says the CAA itself can make the report public on its own, according to Rule 281 of the Civil Aviation Rules 1994, after consulting with the government.

Also, according to  International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) of which the CAA is a signatory, the Annex 13 clause clearly states that the state conducting the investigation should release the final report in the shortest possible time and, if possible, within twelve months of the incident.

If the report cannot be released within twelve months, the state conducting the investigation should release an interim report on each anniversary of the occurrence.

However, Murad points out that the CAA statement fails to mention anything about the progress of the investigation into the Airblue plane crash.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 29th,  2011.]]>
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			<title>The memory remains: Tears, anguished memories and suffering that wouldn’t end</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/219574/the-memory-remains-tears-anguished-memories-and-suffering-that-wouldn%e2%80%99t-end</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/219574/the-memory-remains-tears-anguished-memories-and-suffering-that-wouldn%e2%80%99t-end#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Fri, 29 Jul 11 02:01:06 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[obaid.abbasi]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=219574</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Relatives of the victims visit the Margalla hills where the Islamabad-bound flight met its end.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[Tears rolled down their cheeks as the sight of the green hills reminded a group of visitors about their loved ones. They stayed there for two hours, reminiscing about the times they spent with their relatives, not with them anymore.


It has been a year since the fateful flight of Airblue, ED-202, crashed into Margalla Hills, killing all 152 people onboard.

To mark the first anniversary of the accident, relatives of the victims on Thursday gathered at the site where the Islamabad-bound flight met its end. They arrived in Islamabad at 2pm from different areas of the country. They had been brought through a special flight of Airblue and they visited the monument at Margalla Hills which was constructed last year to pay tribute to the victims of the crash.

Saad Saleem, who had come from Karachi, is the son of Muhammad Saleem who was among the 152 passengers.

“Not a single day of my life has gone by when I haven’t thought about dad,” he said, unable to control his tears.

The mother of Sapna Munawar, an air hostess on board the plane, said, “July 28, 2010 was the worst day of my life.”

The pain of their loss is already huge, but the relatives of the victims have serious concerns over the government’s resolve in investigating the cause of the crash — the report probing the incident is yet to be made public.

“I am surprised to see the dubious attitude of the government, why isn’t it making the report public,” said Haris Ahmed.

From there these people were then taken to the H-11 graveyard, where most of the victims have been buried. There they showered petals on the graves of the victims and prayed.

Later a Quran Khwani was also held and followed by special prayers for the departed souls. “I remember the day when I lost my mother — after her death I lost everything,” said Haris Lodhi, as he sat in front of her grave.

Former Member National Assembly Marvi Memon and Junaid Hamid Convener Airblue Crash Affected Group accompanied the relatives.

Echoing the concerns of these people, Memon expressed disappointment in the government for not making the report public.

“This was a big incident that happened in the capital and the government should make the report public.”

Published in The Express Tribune, July 29th, 2011.]]>
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			<title>Airblue tragedy: Candlelight vigil for family, friends</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/218984/airblue-tragedy-candlelight-vigil-for-family-friends</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/218984/airblue-tragedy-candlelight-vigil-for-family-friends#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Thu, 28 Jul 11 04:29:09 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[samia.saleem]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category><category><![CDATA[Sindh]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=218984</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Relatives of Airblue crash victims refuse money, demand a transparent case.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[Several families of the victims of the tragic Airblue plane crash gathered near Fawara Chowk, carrying candles and pictures of their loved ones they lost a year ago in an event that will remain alive in infamy.


Out of the 152 passengers, more than a hundred passengers were from Karachi, whose families united under a national “affectees group” to pressurise the case for a conclusion. Many refuse to accept the monetary compensation allocated to them by the company. They say want to reach its conclusion in a transparent manner.

The last 365 days of several such families were spent documenting and monitoring each and every effort, move, announcement and action regarding the case.

The relatives say that they have been unable to wipe off tears. Haris Lodhi – whose mother was one of the deceased passengers – is the media manager of the Airblue Crash Victim’s Affectee Group and has documented each news item, aired program, email sent to every department, condolence messages, and procedural details since day one regarding the crash.

Lodhi, who was present at the Karachi Press Club, told The Express Tribune that his 35-year-old dumb and deaf brother has been left all alone after the death of their mother. His family is one of those who have not yet accepted their compensation money.  “If we take the money, they are going to toss off the case. But we want transparency and not money.”

Sindh High Court 

The Sindh High Court (SHC) has issued notices to Airblue, Civil Aviation Authority and other relevant authorities for September 15 after a petition was filed in the court by the widow of a victim. Dr Mirko’s wife Dr Marao filed a compensation claim in the SHC for Rs77.6 million. (with additional reporting by AHMED JUNG)

 

 

 

Published in The Express Tribune, July 28th, 2011.

 

 

&nbsp;]]>
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			<title>Airblue crash: Families await closure as govt delays releasing investigation report</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/218958/airblue-tragedy-families-await-closure-as-govt-delays-releasing-investigation-report</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/218958/airblue-tragedy-families-await-closure-as-govt-delays-releasing-investigation-report#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Thu, 28 Jul 11 04:26:07 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[malik.tariq.ali]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=218958</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Politi­cally well-connec­ted owner, confli­ct of intere­st for the aviati­on regula­tor cited as reason­s for delay.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[Exactly a year ago, 21-year-old Syeda Rabab Zehra Naqvi, sitting on her aisle seat, messaged her father that her flight is ready for takeoff from Karachi. Accompanied by five fellow ‘parliamentarians,’ Rabab was on her way to attend the fifth session of the Youth Parliament in Islamabad.


Five rows in front of her sat a newly-married couple, Owais and Romaisa Khan, en route their honeymoon.

Down the aisle sat Abdul Ghani’s son, daughter-in-law and three grandchildren while further down, in the 21st row sat Ali Sherazi, with a promising public relations career. There were at least 152 such stories, 146 passengers and six crew, on board the Airblue flight ED 202 that took off from Karachi, for Islamabad, on that fateful July 28, 2010 morning.

A year later, surviving family members still await closure. They have yet to find out what caused this crash and why they lost their loved ones. The airline and the government’s apathy towards the air crash investigation, and making public its findings, does not help heal their wounds.

Making the report public

It is a moral and legal obligation of the government, which regulates the aviation industry through the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), to ensure that proper investigation is carried out into accidents involving any aircraft within Pakistani airspace, or any Pakistan-registered aircraft in international airspace.

Ensuring that investigation findings are made public is imperative not just to provide closure to victims’ families but also help avert future accidents – a standard practice adopted globally.

Aircraft manufacturers also distribute accident reports to all airlines using their aircraft, so that they may learn from others’ mistakes, incorporate amendments to standard operating procedures and rectify any technical lapses in design that may have contributed to a particular accident. Expecting the same in a country as bureaucratic and opaque as Pakistan, however, is futile. Pakistan has one of the worst track records as far as air accident investigations are concerned.

While the Airblue crash was the deadliest air accident within Pakistan, state-owned Pakistan International Airlines has been involved in three major accidents in its history: 1965 in Cairo, 1979 in Taif and 1992 in Nepal. Over a 100 people died in each of these accidents and not a single investigation report has been made public.

Conflict of interest?

It was feared, from the very outset, that there would be a cover-up and that increasingly appears to be the case.

Reports suggest that investigators have not found any indication of technical malfunction and the cause is attributed to operational lapses.

But the accident investigation team has delayed publishing these findings, not least because of the politically well-connected owner of Airblue, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz MNA Shahid Khaqan Abbasi.

Meanwhile the CAA, which leads the investigations into the accident, is not just an aviation regulator – it also owns and operates airports, air traffic control and the navigation aid systems which could have played a part in the accident.  Is it this inherent conflict of interest that is hampering the publication of air crash investigation or sheer negligence, corruption and lack of accountability?

The writer is an independent aviation analyst.

 

 

Published in The Express Tribune, July 28th, 2011.]]>
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			<title>Airblue crash: 100 families still await monetary compensation</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/218962/airblue-crash-100-families-still-await-monetary-compensation</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/218962/airblue-crash-100-families-still-await-monetary-compensation#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Thu, 28 Jul 11 04:24:06 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Salman Siddiqui]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=218962</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Families of 100 victims on Airblue flight ED202 are yet to receive the compensation money.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[Families of 100 victims on Airblue flight ED202 are yet to receive the compensation money promised by the airline, The Express Tribune has learnt.


There were no survivors on the ill-fated flight that had 152 people onboard, including 146 passengers and six crew members.

Airblue spokesperson Raheel Ahmed told The Express Tribune that only 50 of the victims’ families have been paid Rs5 million so far.

In the initial phase, the airline paid 0.5 million to all families for urgent relief, but no compensation package was announced until around three months after the crash. Affected families alleged that the airline was planning to usurp the insurance money owed to them. Some even said that the company was earning interest on the compensation money and was deliberately delaying the payout.

However, the airline says the announcement of the compensation package was delayed only because the management was negotiating with the insurance company to ensure maximum compensation. “Each family is being given Rs5 million in addition to the 0.5 million given earlier,” the Airblue official said, claiming it was the highest amount paid to plane crash victims in Pakistan.

However, sources familiar with the matter say there is no particular insurance company involved, but a “faceless international consortium” that comprises a dozen companies, including a large local company.

Airblue has given Rs5 million to only those families of the victims who have fulfilled their legal requirements, which includes a succession certificate. The airline claims that only 60 people have submitted these certificates, of which 50 people have been paid the full amount.  These 50 do not include the two American nationals who were also onboard.

The airline maintains there is “no question of earning interest on the compensation money” since the insurance company has not made any payments to Airblue, they claim.  A senior Civil Aviation Authority official said the inquiry report is complete and has been submitted to the Ministry of Defence. “It will be made public soon,” he said, adding that the matter was now in the hands of the prime minister.

FIA inspector Rehmatullah Dhomki, who lost his wife and three children in the crash, said although the inquiry report will not be able to bring back his loved ones, it is necessary that it is made public so that future mistakes can be avoided. “Also, the role of the CAA itself has been suspicious in the incident and I want to know exactly how it happened,” Dhomki said, who himself was on board a PIA flight at the time of crash.

Dhomki says the compensation money paid to him means nothing. “The biggest asset that a man can have is his children. You are nothing once you lose them,” he said. The FIA inspector says he will build a school in Jamshoro in the name of his daughter, Benazir, from the compensation money.

 

Published in The Express Tribune, July 28th, 2011.]]>
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			<title>German widow files compensation petition against Airblue, CAA</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/218583/german-widow-files-compensation-petition-against-airblue</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/218583/german-widow-files-compensation-petition-against-airblue#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Wed, 27 Jul 11 16:11:49 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[express]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=218583</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Dr. Marko’s wife Dr. Marao filed a compensation claim in the SHC for Rs77.6m]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[The Sindh High Court (SHC) issued notices to Airblue airlines and the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), on Wednesday, after a petition was filed by the widow of a German victim in the Air Blue crash last year.

Dr. Marko’s wife Dr. Marao filed a compensation claim in the SHC for Rs77.6m.

She stated in the petition that even after one year, the airline had failed to provide any compensation which is why she has moved the court for justice.

The court has issued notices to Airblue, CAA and other relevant authorities for September 15.

According to an earlier report, Airblue’s Director Corporate Affairs, Sadia Mohammad had said that 39 families had received the final compensation of Rs5 million whereas Air Blue has already paid out Rs0.5 million to all 146 families.

Furthermore, Airblue’s investigation team had completed its report and submitted it to the ministry of defence, according to a letter available with The Express Tribune.

Earlier in June, a two-member bench of the Peshawar High Court (PHC) has issued notices to Airblue airline, the federal government and the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) to explain their positions in a writ petition filed by family members of the victims of the fatal crash, praying to the court to ground all domestic and international flights of Airblue till the findings of an independent board of inquiry are made public and a definite declaration is made that the aircraft are safe to fly.

(Read: Airblue crash: PHC issues notices to airline, govt and CAA)

The defence ministry had been asked to submit its report on the Air Blue crash investigation before a parliamentary panel on human rights within three months.

(Read: Air Blue tragedy: Submit report on air crash in three months, defence ministry told)

An Airblue plane crashed last year on July 28 in Margalla hills when it was enroute to Islamabad from Karachi.

Over 150 passengers on board including the German national, Doctor Marko, lost their lives.]]>
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			<title>Air Blue tragedy: Submit report on air crash in three months, defence ministry told</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/199250/air-blue-tragedy-submit-report-on-air-crash-in-three-months-defence-ministry-told</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/199250/air-blue-tragedy-submit-report-on-air-crash-in-three-months-defence-ministry-told#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Thu, 30 Jun 11 04:51:42 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[maha.mussadaq]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=199250</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Defence ministry asked to submit crash investigation report to parliamentary panel on human rights within 3 months.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[The defence ministry has been asked to submit its report on the Air Blue crash investigation before a parliamentary panel on human rights within three months.


The National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Human Rights further directed the defence ministry to address all cases of compensation for family members of the Air Blue crash victims.

The committee that met under its chairman Riaz Fatyana on Wednesday directed that the Air Blue administration be taken onboard for the report and the responsibility and cause of the crash be presented before the committee.

The defence secretary informed the committee that the report would be sent to the prime minister and upon approval it would be sent to other concerned departments. He added that according to the law the party concerned would have to wait for 60 days for the process to be completed, which is why the report would be submitted in three months.

A report submitted before the committee by the Director-General Civil Aviation Authority claimed that Rs5 million had been paid to the 136 legal heirs of each victim of the crash. Defence Minister Ahmed Mukhtar, addressing a press briefing, said that officials were aware of the reasons behind the Air Blue crash, but details could not be made public at this time.

Kharotabad incident 

In regard to the five people killed in Kharotabad, the committee expressed dissatisfaction with police statements.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 30th, 2011.]]>
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			<title>Airblue Crash: Defence Ministry refuses to submit report to NA committee</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/198704/reason-for-air-blue-crash-is-known-defence-minister</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/198704/reason-for-air-blue-crash-is-known-defence-minister#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Wed, 29 Jun 11 10:17:54 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[express]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=198704</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Mukhtar says reason behind Air Blue crash in 2010 is known, but details cannot be made public at this time.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[The Defence Ministry refused to submit the inquiry report into the Air Blue crash accident to the National Assembly's (NA) Standing Committee on Human Rights, on Wednesday.

Ministry officials briefed the standing committee about the investigations’ progress and admitted that they have all facts and figures regarding the accident but are not authorized to forward information to the committee, citing some legal issues which will be resolved soon, after which the report will be forwarded to Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani and made public afterwards.

The NA Committee, however, expressed its reservations on the non- payment of compensation to the crash affectees and directed it to be paid within four months.

Meanwhile, earlier in the day, Defence Minister Ahmed Mukhtar had said that officials know the reason behind the Air Blue crash in 2010, but details could not be made public at this time.

Speaking during a press briefing, Mukhtar also said that some important details regarding the attack on the PNS Mehran base had been uncovered, but these too could not be made public at this time.

These details have however been shared with the national assembly standing committee on defence in private.

Relations with the US

The Defence Minister said that Pakistan is reviewing its  relations with the US on the war on terror.

During a meeting of the national assembly standing committee on defence, Mukhtar said Pakistan is  spending its own money in the war on terror as the coalition support funds are  halted.

He further said that losses continue to mount for Pakistan, in human and  financial terms.

The defence minister denied any knowledge of the whereabouts of  Mullah Omar and said that after the Bin Laden raid, even if he were here, he  would have fled Pakistan.

Pakistan was expecting $500 million (Rs43 billion) in the last tranche of the Coalition Support Fund (CSF), which was set up by the US Congress after the 9/11 attacks to reimburse allies for costs in supporting the US-led war on militancy. On April 25, Finance Minister Abdul Hafeez Shaikh had announced after a visit to the US that the Obama administration was “firmly committed” to releasing at least $500 to $600 million by June 30.

A finance ministry official said that the US Congress is yet to clear the transaction.

US bases in Pakistan

Mukhtar said that Pakistan told the United States to leave Shamsi air base reportedly used as a hub for covert CIA drone attacks.

"We have told them (US officials) to leave the air base," national news agency APP quoted Mukhtar as telling a group of journalists in his office.

The air strip is 900 kilometres southwest of the capital Islamabad in Baluchistan province.

A US embassy spokeswoman told AFP there were no US military personnel at the Shamsi base.

CNN reported in April that US military personnel had left the base, said to be a key hub for American drone operations, in the fallout over public killings by a CIA contractor in Lahore and his subsequent detention.

Reports said operations at the base, which Washington has not publicly acknowledged, were conducted with tacit Pakistani military consent.

Mukhtar also denied the presence of American troops at Ghazi base in  Tarbela, stating that it is being operated by Pakistan.]]>
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