ISLAMABAD: Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) had received delivery of two airplanes which had increased the fleet size of the national flag carrier to 3,7 said PIA Spokesperson Danyal Gilani.
‘The two aircraft which had been parked at Jinnah International Airport, Karachi included a Boeing 777-200ER and an Airbus A-320. The planes would soon be put to operation after completion of formalities,’ he said.
PIA’s fleet size has doubled since June 2013 and there are plans to further expand it to 40 by the end of this year.
Regarding the hot issue of Shaheen airline crash, he said PIA had sent its recovery team to retrieve Shaheen airline’s disabled aircraft which skidded off the runway at Lahore airport due to technical fault on Tuesday.
‘After retrieval of aircraft by PIA team secondary runway of Lahore airport would be opened,’ he said in a statement on Wednesday.
Initial investigation held the Shaheen Air plane pilot responsible for crash landing on Tuesday that left 10 passengers injured at Allama Iqbal International Airport, Lahore.
The Lahore bound Shaheen Air International flight number NL-142 landed at 9:27 on the airport but could not maintain the balance and skidded-off the runway and be dragged by 70 feet.
The report said that the landing position of the plane was not proper while landing and the passenger plane was slightly bended on the right side. The whole weight of the plane shifted on one side while landing which cause the accident.
Plane’s tyres bust and landing gear destroyed due to the sever shock and pressure at the moment of landing. The plane turned out of control from the pilot and skidded-off the runway its tyres broken and separated from the plane.
Shaheen Air engineering sources said that the plane completely destroyed and in unrepeatable condition after the incident. The management eyes on the insurance claim and its high-ups said that the experts of the insurance company would reach soon in Pakistan to visit the site.
Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) said the aircraft’s landing gear, windows and right wing were damaged in the landing. The CAA added that it had initiated its investigation into the incident. Sources said that two toddler, seven crew member among 121 people were on board on the passenger plane.
