District and Sessions Court dismisses eight airline appeals, fines carrier for delaying justice
Islamabad Court Orders Massive Compensation in Airblue Crash Case
ISLAMABAD: An Islamabad court has ordered Airblue to pay Rs5.41 billion in compensation to victims of the 2010 plane crash near Islamabad, delivering a major blow to the private airline and bringing long-awaited relief to affected families.
The ruling was issued by the District and Sessions Court, which dismissed all appeals filed by Airblue challenging compensation claims linked to the deadly crash.
Airline’s Appeals Rejected, Fines Imposed
The court rejected eight separate appeals submitted by the airline and imposed a Rs1 million fine on each appeal, citing deliberate delays and misuse of judicial process.
This brings the total fine imposed on Airblue to Rs8 million.
The court observed that the repeated filing of appeals had wasted valuable judicial time and prolonged the suffering of victims’ families.
Breakdown of Compensation Awards
According to the detailed verdict, compensation will be distributed as follows:
- Sumera Naveed Choudhry and two others: Rs143.189 million
- Rashid Zulfiqar and four others: Rs630.94 million
- Muhammad Ilyas: Rs1.101 billion
- Gohar Rehman: Rs507.348 million
- Junaiduz Zaman Hamid: Rs996.048 million
- Muhammad Javed Khan: Rs857.025 million
- Mst. Salima Rajput: Rs572.666 million
- Retired Colonel Shamim Akhtar: Rs606 million
The compensation is payable to families and individuals affected by the crash, which occurred in July 2010, killing numerous passengers when an Airblue aircraft went down near Islamabad.
Court Criticises Airblue’s Legal Strategy
In its ruling, the court strongly criticised Airblue for persistently contesting compensation awards, stating that the airline failed to justify its objections to the amounts determined.
The court noted that Airblue’s legal arguments did not merit interference with the compensation granted to victims under civil law.
Background of the Case
The case arose from a civil claim filed by families of crash victims, challenging an earlier ruling by a civil judge that had awarded partial compensation capped at Rs10 million per person.
The Islamabad High Court later transferred the matter back to the District and Sessions Court, directing it to issue a final determination.
Legal Proceedings Continue at High Court
While the airline’s appeals have now been dismissed, appeals filed by the victims seeking enhanced compensation remain pending before the Islamabad High Court, indicating that legal proceedings related to the tragedy are not yet fully concluded.