Islamabad court awards Rs5.4 billion to families of Airblue crash victims

A district court in the federal capital on Saturday awarded a record compensation of Rs5.4 billion to the families of eight victims of the 2010 Airblue plane crash, marking a significant legal development in Pakistan’s deadliest aviation disaster.

The verdict was announced by the Court of the Additional District Judge III (West), Islamabad, presided over by Dr Rasool Bukhsh Mirjat. The court dismissed an appeal filed by Airblue, reaffirming the airline’s liability for the crash, and imposed an additional penalty of Rs1 million for delaying the legal proceedings.

The case relates to Airblue Flight 202, a domestic passenger flight operating from Karachi to Islamabad, which crashed on July 28, 2010, during its final approach to Benazir Bhutto International Airport.

The aircraft, an Airbus A321 231 bearing registration AP BJB, struck the Margalla Hills amid adverse weather conditions. All 152 people on board, including 146 passengers and six crew members, were killed in the crash, which remains the worst aviation accident in Pakistan’s history.