Islamabad Court Orders Rs. 5.4 Billion Compensation in 2010 Airblue Plane Crash Case

An Islamabad district court has ordered Airblue to pay Rs. 5.4 billion in compensation to the families of eight victims of the 2010 Airblue plane crash, rejecting the airline’s appeal and reaffirming its liability. The verdict was announced by Additional District Judge III (West), Dr. Rasool Bukhsh Mirjat, who also imposed an additional Rs. 1 million penalty on Airblue for delaying the legal proceedings.

The case pertains to Airblue Flight 202, a domestic flight from Karachi to Islamabad that crashed on July 28, 2010, while on its final approach to the then Benazir Bhutto International Airport. The Airbus A321 collided with the Margalla Hills in adverse weather conditions, resulting in the deaths of all 152 people on board, including 146 passengers and six crew members.

The official investigation concluded that pilot error was the primary cause of the crash, highlighting that the aircraft descended below the prescribed safe altitude and deviated from standard operating procedures during a circling approach in poor visibility. Additional contributing factors included weak cockpit resource management and challenging weather conditions, including heavy rain and low cloud cover.