Nation demands safer planes
Anger and grief follow country's worst air crash for nearly two years
Family of Princess Flavia at a Church in Karachi
- Ayyaz Gulzar, Karachi
- Pakistan
- April 24, 2012
Calls for better air safety regulations are growing after a plane crashed into a field near Islamabad on Friday killing all 127 people on board.
The Bhoja Air flight which had originated in Karachi crashed as it made its approach to the airport during a storm.
The crash was the worst since July 2010 when an Airbus A321 crashed at the same airport killing 152 people.
Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani has formed a judicial commission to determine the cause of the crash, while the defense minister has ordered inspections of all aircraft belonging to private airlines. The black box flight recorder has been found and is being analysed.
Concern about air travel is rising as funerals for the dead continue.
“We urge the government to review safety measures. The Civil Aviation authority should ensure crews are trained professionally and experts should inspect aircraft before each flight to avoid the loss of precious lives,” said Father Thomas Gulfam after the funeral of Princess Flavia, one of the cabin crew yesterday at St. Anthony’s Catholic Church in Karachi.
Many aircraft currently in use in Pakistan are more than 25 years old, said Fr Gulfam who is general secretary of the Heralds of Peace, an interfaith group
Every time we get on a plane "our lives are at risk; which is not good at all,” he said.
Meanwhile, Julius Salik, convener of the World Minorities Alliance (WMA) and a former federal minister has filed a writ in the Islamabad High Court against the owners of Bhoja Airlines and the Director General Civil Aviation Authority.
“This is the first lawsuit against the airline which must face up to its responsibilities,” a statement from the WMA said.
The owner of the airline, Farooq Bhoja, was taken in for questioning following the disaster, but was released yesterday. Officials also raided his house and offices in search of possible evidence relating to the plane’s airworthiness.
The Bhoja Air flight which had originated in Karachi crashed as it made its approach to the airport during a storm.
The crash was the worst since July 2010 when an Airbus A321 crashed at the same airport killing 152 people.
Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani has formed a judicial commission to determine the cause of the crash, while the defense minister has ordered inspections of all aircraft belonging to private airlines. The black box flight recorder has been found and is being analysed.
Concern about air travel is rising as funerals for the dead continue.
“We urge the government to review safety measures. The Civil Aviation authority should ensure crews are trained professionally and experts should inspect aircraft before each flight to avoid the loss of precious lives,” said Father Thomas Gulfam after the funeral of Princess Flavia, one of the cabin crew yesterday at St. Anthony’s Catholic Church in Karachi.
Many aircraft currently in use in Pakistan are more than 25 years old, said Fr Gulfam who is general secretary of the Heralds of Peace, an interfaith group
Every time we get on a plane "our lives are at risk; which is not good at all,” he said.
Meanwhile, Julius Salik, convener of the World Minorities Alliance (WMA) and a former federal minister has filed a writ in the Islamabad High Court against the owners of Bhoja Airlines and the Director General Civil Aviation Authority.
“This is the first lawsuit against the airline which must face up to its responsibilities,” a statement from the WMA said.
The owner of the airline, Farooq Bhoja, was taken in for questioning following the disaster, but was released yesterday. Officials also raided his house and offices in search of possible evidence relating to the plane’s airworthiness.
