Pakistan court orders Airblue to pay PKR 5.4 billion, 15 years after crash

An Islamabad court ordered on Tuesday Pakistan-based airline Airblue to pay more than PKR 5.4 billion in compensation to families of victims of the country’s deadliest plane crash, nearly 15 years after the disaster.

In a written judgment, the District and Sessions Courts dismissed eight appeals filed by Airblue against earlier compensation rulings related to the 2010 crash of Airblue Flight ED-202.

Additional District and Sessions Judge Dr Rasool Bakhsh Meerjat also imposed a fine of PKR 1 million on each appeal, totaling PKR 8 million, citing frivolous litigation and waste of judicial time.

The court directed Airblue to pay a total of PKR 5.41 billion to victims’ families. The verdict covered eight appeals filed by the families seeking higher compensation and eight counter-appeals filed by the airline.

Under the ruling, Samira Naveed Chaudhry and two others were awarded PKR 143.189 million, while Rashid Zulfiqar and four others received PKR 630.94 million.

Muhammad Ilyas was awarded PKR 1,101.868 million, Gohar Rehman PKR 507.348 million, and Junaid-uz-Zaman Hamid PKR 996.048 million.

The court also granted PKR 857.025 million to Muhammad Javed Khan, PKR 572.666 million to Saleema Rajput, and PKR 606 million to retired Colonel Shamim Akhtar.

What’s the case?

The compensation cases stem from the crash of Airblue Flight ED-202 on July 28, 2010. The Airbus A321 was flying from Karachi to Islamabad when it crashed into the Margalla Hills while attempting to land at Islamabad’s Benazir Bhutto International Airport in poor weather.

All 152 passengers and crew on board were killed, making it one of Pakistan’s deadliest aviation disasters.

Investigations later blamed the crash primarily on pilot error, citing poor decision-making, failure to follow standard operating procedures and lack of situational awareness during the landing approach.

Families of the victims filed civil lawsuits seeking compensation. A lower civil court initially accepted the claims but capped compensation at PKR 10 million per person, prompting families to appeal for higher damages.

Airblue also challenged the rulings. The Islamabad High Court later returned the appeals to the sessions courts, ruling that the cases fell under the jurisdiction of the district judiciary.

In its judgment, the court criticized Airblue for delaying tactics and unnecessary litigation, saying the airline’s conduct prolonged the suffering of victims’ families and burdened the judicial system.

Legal experts have described the ruling as one of the most significant aviation compensation verdicts in Pakistan, offering long-awaited relief to families and setting a precedent for future aviation liability cases.