KARACHI: Despite a passage of three years to the crash of a Pakistan International Airlines plane near the Karachi airport that claimed lives of 97 passengers, victim families are still waiting for justice as the final investigation report into the incident is yet to be finalised.

On May 22, 2020 the A320 aircraft, PK-8303, had made a failed landing attempt on a runway at Karachi airport on its engines without lowering the landing gear and later crashed into houses in nearby Model Colony while trying to go around, killing 97 of the 99 passengers and crew members on board and one girl on the ground.

The federal government had formed an Aircraft Accident and Investigation Board (AAIB) to lead the probe which was later joined by investigators from Airbus, the manufacturer of the plane, US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and other experts.

While a preliminary report was released, the probe remains still inconclusive as the AAIB final report hasn’t been completed yet.

“Neither the final investigation report into the crash is released, nor the departmental proceedings of the PIA and the Civil Aviation Authority were brought on record despite a passage of three years,” said Kashif Aman, whose mother Shahnaz Parveen was among the 97 victims of the crash.

“They want to break us [relatives of plane crash victims] but we will not back out. We demand that the government release the final investigation report and punish all those found responsible,” he added.

Victim families hold the CAA, the air traffic controller as well as district administration responsible for the crash and a considerable delay in firefighting efforts.

They questioned as to why the two survivors and families of those killed in the crash were paid similar compensation ie Rs10m each.

Mr Aman said that the victim families were not paid the amount in the head of luggage insurance and the aviation ministry had not taken any action against the CAA and PIA for ‘violating laws’.

Meanwhile, victim families remembered their loved ones on their third death anniversary.

Quran khwani was held at Usman Ghani Park in Model Colony near the site of the crash on Sunday.

Published in Dawn, May 22nd, 2023