Pakistan inspects private planes after crash
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E-mail Xinhua, April 24, 2012
Pakistan's aviation authorities Monday launched inspection of all planes of private airlines after a passenger plane crashed near Islamabad on Friday, killing 127 people on board.
The Defence Minister Chaudhry Ahmad Mukhtar said that no flight of the private companies would be allowed to fly unless the inspection process is completed.
Also on Sunday, a passenger plane of a private company averted a major disaster after its two tyres burst before landing. The pilot managed to land. There was also report of oil leak in another plane in Lahore.
The crash and technical problems in two planes of private airlines prompted inspection of all aircraft in the fleet of three airlines.
A spokesman for the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) said the inspection was started on Monday in stages and planes of Bhoja airlines would be inspected first, which lost its Boeing-737 on Friday.
Preliminary investigation suggests that engine of the aircraft had burnt before it crashed on residential area 10 kilometers from Islamabad airport. It was earlier stated that bad weather could be the possible cause of the crash. The plane was 27 years old.
The crash and technical problems in two other planes raised concern about the safety of the planes, which forced the aviation authorities to launch overall inspection.
Talking to the media, the CAA spokesman said that scrutinization of Bhoja planes would take some time and afterwards Shaheen Air International and AirBlue carriers will be checked. He also said that Pakistan International Airline (PIA) planes have already undergone the inspection a month ago.
Defence Minister Chaudhry Ahmed Mukhtar on Sunday directed to ground the planes of private airlines, making the obtaining of fitness certificates mandatory for them within the next three to four days. The Defence Minister, citing "a string of accidents" involving planes of private airlines, ordered that their planes be grounded until planes inspected and fitness certificates required.
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