Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) Chairman Azam Saigol has confirmed that there have been no survivors of the tragic plane crash near Havelian in Abbottabad district, saying the aircraft was fit to fly.
Speaking at a news conference here, Azam Saigol said the PIA has 11 ATR aircrafts in its fleet and they all have been 'reliable'.
"The plane crashed on Wednesday was A-checked in October," he said in response to rumours about technical issues with the aircraft, adding that this certification is conducted after every 500 hours of flying.
Read more: PIA flight PK-661 crashes near Havelian, none survived
"There is no room of human error regarding fitness certification of the plane, however, it will be probed thoroughly," the PIA chairman said, hinting at assistance by international agencies in the investigations.
Saigol said it was our plane and our passengers, yet contending the air travel was still the safest means of transportation. "We will ascertain the causes of the crash and will inform you," he told anxious newsmen.
"This, however, should not be expected from the PIA that it would fly unfit jets," he added.
The PIA chairman said: "For today, we are only focused on recovering bodies of passengers and transporting them to Islamabad via choppers, and handing them over to their heirs."
He also said the black box of the ill-fated plane has been recovered which will be sent to manufacturers for decoding.
Also read: Black box of PK-661 recovered from crash site
Other officials sitting beside Saigol informed journos that the crashed ATR-42 was manufactured in 2007 and had flown 18,000 hours.
"Captain Janjua had 1200 flying hours, while the two first officers with him had 500 and 1000 hours of flying experience," they said.
