KARACHI, Jul 23: Pakistan International Airlines has announced that it will start replacing the Fokker aircraft in its fleet with ATR planes from November.

The airline has also clarified that all its Fokker Friendship aircraft which have been flying are completely airworthy and certified for flying.

The Fokker planes were airworthy and certified by the Civil Aviation Authority and by PIA’s own certified engineers, it said. PIA has six Fokkers in its fleet.

A Fokker each day makes on an average four to five landings and the Fokker that crashed near Multan had almost four years of useful flying life left, it said, according to an APP report.

However, it said, starting November this year and by the middle of next year all the F-27 aircraft would be replaced by seven new ATR 42-500.