PIA - Pakistan International Airlines (PK, Islamabad International) told the Sindh High Court that it would ground all of its remaining ATR - Avions de Transport Régional turboprops by August 3, 2021, to alleviate safety concerns stemming from maintenance failures that caused a crash in 2016.
The airline appeared in front of a two-judge panel overseeing an ongoing legal inquiry into the December 7, 2016, accident in which all 47 persons on board died in a crash of ATR42-500 AP-BHO (msn 663) during landing at Islamabad Benazir Bhutto International. An investigation later revealed that improper maintenance led to a fracture of one of the propeller's blades. PIA's counsel underlined that while all of the carrier's aircraft are subject to regular inspections by the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (PCAA) and adhere to all safety norms, the retirement of the ATRs would improve the carrier's image.
According to the ch-aviation fleets module, PIA currently operates five owned ATR42-500s and four ATR72-500s leased from ACIA Aero. Only three ATR42s and one ATR72 are currently active. The remainder has been in long-term storage predating the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In late December 2020, PIA announced it would return all ATR72s, of which it had five at the time, to ACIA. However, this was later refuted by the lessor, which said the early return agreement only covered a single aircraft, AP-BKY (msn 994), which was indeed ferried back to Johannesburg O.R. Tambo in mid-December 2020.
PIA's ATR42s are 14.2 years old on average while its ATR72s average 8.8 years old. The airline has no other turboprops or regional jets in its fleet which also comprises eleven A320-200s, six B777-200ERs, two B777-200(LR)s, and four B777-300(ER)s.
Pakistani daily Dawn has separately reported that the carrier will resume services to Saidu Sharif over six years after the northern Pakistani airfield was closed. Following the completion of necessary investment and infrastructural upgrades, 2x weekly flights from Islamabad International and Lahore International will resume on March 26, 2021. PIA plans to operate the routes with its ATR turboprops as Saidu Sharif cannot currently handle narrowbody jets. The future of the route is therefore in question due to the planned retirement of the turboprops.
