The chairman of Pakistan’s embattled national carrier has resigned following a fatal plane crash that killed 47 people last week, one of the country’s deadliest air disasters.
Mohamed Azam Saigol tendered his resignation on Monday due to personal reasons, PIA spokesman Danyal Gilani told AFP, but declined to comment further.
Saigol’s resignation came after a Pakistan International Airlines plane crashed into a mountain on the way to Islamabad from the city of Chitral after one of the aircraft’s two turboprop engines failed, killing everyone on board.
On Monday, PIA grounded its 10 remaining ATR turboprop planes for thorough testing in the wake of the crash and another incident in which a plane was recalled to its parking bay after experiencing a fault just before take off at Multan airport.
“The process of carrying out shakedown tests of PIA’s ATR aircraft has now started.
CAA and PIA’s Quality Control department are taking part in this thorough examination in which PIA’s all ATR aircraft will be inspected one by one,” a PIA statement said on Monday.
ATR is a Toulouse, France-based turboprop aircraft maker and “the world leader in the market for regional aircraft up to 90 seats”, according to the company’s website.
The company was established in 1981 and is a partnership between two European aeronautics firms, the Airbus Group and Leonardo.
Its ATR 42-500 is a twin turboprop plane that carries 48 passengers in standard configuration and is capable of operations on both paved and unpaved strips.
The engines are built by Pratt & Whitney Canada, a division of the US manufacturer.
ATR has so far declined to comment while Pakistani authorities investigate the causes of the crash.
Meanwhile, a nine-member investigation team yesterday visited the crash site of the ill-fated PIA flight PK-661 near northwest Havelian city of the country.
The team comprises of three French officials and three Canadian officials belonging to France-based aircraft manufacturer ATR and US-based engine manufacturer Pratt and Whitney. Three Pakistani officials are also part of the team visiting crash site.
The Pakistani officials are members of the Safety Investigation Board (SIB) of the Aviation Division.
The team is currently interviewing eyewitnesses of the crash and rescue teams that arrived on the site immediately after the incident.
The team will collect evidence from the site in order to investigate the cause of the crash. The evidence will be taken to Islamabad and France for examination.
PIA flight PK-661 carrying 48 passengers and crew crashed on the way to Islamabad from Chitral last week, killing all on board.
A 10-member special investigation team, headed by Group Capt Sultan and comprising high-ranking PAF and other officials, also visited the crash site last week and collected evidence from the wreckage of the plane to find causes of the accident.
PIA had earlier said both engines of the aircraft were fully operational at the time of take-off from Chitral and “some problem developed during flight”.




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