Court orders Rs5.4bn compensation for 2010 AirBlue plane crash victims' families

An Additional District and Sessions Court has ordered payment of Rs5.4 billion in compensation to families of the victims of the 2010 AirBlue plane crash.

The court disposed of eight separate appeals filed in connection with the crash of Flight ED-202 near Islamabad.

Additional District and Sessions Judge Dr Rasool Buksh Mirjat upheld the earlier ruling, issuing decrees in favour of the families of passengers who died in the incident. The court ruled that the trial court had correctly held the airline responsible and awarded compensation in line with the law.

In its written verdict, the court said that AirBlue failed to point out any legal or procedural flaw in the earlier judgments. It noted that the trial court’s findings were based on proper evaluation of evidence and established legal principles related to carrier liability and loss of life.

During the appeal hearings, AirBlue’s lawyer, Omar Farouk Adam Khan, argued that the crash resulted from errors by the crew rather than any failure by the airline. He said the airline should not bear full responsibility and claimed that the legal heirs of the crew should have been made parties to determine liability.

The airline also challenged the compensation amount, calling it excessive and legally unsound.

However, lawyers representing the affected families defended the original decision, arguing that the airline was legally responsible for the actions of its employees and owed a duty of care to its passengers.