Pakistan International Airline (PIA) has a history of deadly plane crashes due to old and outdated aircraft still being used despite being obsolete. Since 1986, the airline suffered eight fatal crashes/incidents which left around 327 people dead.
PIA also increased the capacity of aircrafts by 17 per cent and the number of aircraft is now 38. However, for 19,000 people working for the airline having only 38 aircraft is a huge question mark.
A source in the national flag carrier told Pakistan Today requesting anonymity that out of 38 aircraft, only a few fulfil the modern requirements.
“Most of the ATRs being flown today have become obsolete now, and they should be grounded,” the official added.
According to estimates, 80 per cent fatalities occurred after year 2010 reflecting how badly PIA was being managed after the democratic regimes took over.
Interestingly, a concerned Pakistani took to twitter to share her concern for the ill-fated plane and shared that her brother, who was working with PIA, had flown the same plane which crashed Wednesday and had shared his concerns about its deteriorating condition with his family.
https://twitter.com/SarahJR__/status/806484361134637059
Following is a brief history of PIA crashes since year 1986:
On 23 October 1986, a Fokker F-27 aircraft crashed during approach to Peshawar Airport. Of the 54 passengers and crew on board, 13 were killed in the accident.
A Fokker F-27 crashed into a mountain after taking off from Gilgit Airport on 25 August, 1989. All 54 passengers and crew on board were killed.
PIA Flight 268 was an Airbus A300B4-203, registration AP-BCP, which crashed on approach to Kathmandu’s Tribhuvan International Airport on 28 September, 1992. All 167 on board were killed.
A Fokker F27, scheduled to operate from Multan to Lahore, crashed into a field on 10 July 2006 after bursting into flames a few minutes after takeoff from Multan International Airport. All 41 passengers and four crew members on board were killed.
On 30 May 2009, an ATR 42-500 registration AP-BHO operating from Multan to Lahore skidded off the runway when landing at Allama Iqbal International Airport. All 43 passengers and four crew on board remained safe. The aircraft landing gear assemblies were damaged and repaired later in October 2009.
On 31 August 2012, another ATR 42-500 registration AP-BHJ operating from Islamabad to Lahore was landing at Allama Iqbal International Airport when it undershot the runway and came to rest on a grassy area on the right side of runway 36R. All 42 passengers and four crew members remained safe in this accident. The aircraft was damaged beyond repair and withdrawn from service.
On 11 February 2013, a Boeing 737 aircraft was operating 259 from Islamabad to Muscat via Sialkot when its port side main landing gear collapsed during landing at Muscat International Airport. All 107 passengers and seven crew members aboard the aircraft remained safe in this accident. The aircraft was damaged beyond repair and withdrawn from service.
An Airbus A310-300 series aircraft registered AP-BGN was operating Flight 756 from Riyadh to Peshawar on June 24, 2014 with 178 passengers and 12 crew members on board, when hit by gunfire during its landing approach at Bacha Khan International Airport, Peshawar. The aircraft landed safely but one passenger was killed and two crew members were injured. The aircraft was damaged but it was later ferried to Karachi for repair.
Flight 661, operated by an ATR 42-500 aircraft, crashed in Havelian, Pakistan while en route from Chitral to Islamabad on December 7, 2016 with 42 passengers and five crew members on board.
