PRESS RELEASE 4th BARSI OF VICTIMS OF AIRBLUE FLIGHT ED-202 28 JULY 2014 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Four years back, 28 July 2010 was the most fateful day in the aviation history of Pakistan when AirBlue Flight ED 202 crashed in the Margalla Hills killing all 152 passengers and crew members on board. May Almighty Allah rest the departed souls in eternal peace and grant the patience and courage to the aggrieved families to bear the loss. AirBlue Crash Affectees Group (ACAG) was formed to share the common grief of all the bereaved families and to facilitate each other in overcoming the trauma. Besides, ACAG had also been instrumental in facilitating the bereaved families towards getting some of their legal rights and campaigning to make the PAKISTANI SKIES SAFER FOR FUTURE AIR TRAVELLERS in the country. ACAG has been constantly expanding its scope of activities. Today it is also a member of an international umbrella group of air crash victims’ families associations worldwide – the “Air Crash Victims Families Group” (ACVFG) which for thirty years is actively engaged in various aspects of aviation safety and passenger rights globally and is regularly invited as observers at the ICAO. ACVFG has participated in the Montreal Conventions of 1999 and was a major player in drafting of the ICAO Circular # AN-285/166 of 2001, its subsequent Working Group Task Force “Assistance to Aircraft Accident Victims Task Force (AVPTF), the Montreal Convention of 2009, the EU Regulations: 889/2002, 261/2004, 996/2010, 1099/2010 and others. During these past three years, some breakthroughs achieved are: a. ACAG was invited by special invitation of the ICAO, to participate in the 38th General Assembly of ICAO from Sept 20 till Oct 04, 2013 in Montreal, Canada. The ACAG was represented by it’s Chairman, Mr. Junaid Hamid in the Convention which saw the acceptance of the ICAO Resolution No A38/WP22, and A38/WP301, for the Assistance to the Families in case of an Air Crash. This was a historic moment whereby a long standing issue was formally adopted by the General Assembly. b. In addition to the above papers that were presented and adopted by the General Assembly, another paper by the ACVFG was presented (Resolution No A38/WP300). This paper was solely prepared by the International members of the Group which also included ACAG. This paper was adopted unanimously by the General Assembly with a note for the member states to make this mandatory in their respective countries through legislature. c. Amid growing concerns about the maintenance standards of national flag carrier and increasing number of air accidents ( four major crashes between July 2010 to April 2012) the CAA was compelled to arrange a safety audit of PIA, private commercial operators and CAA ground facilities – a step towards improving safety standards. d. For the first time in the aviation history of Pakistan, the Crash Investigation Report of Flight ED 202 was made public, which is a requirement under ICAO regulations. However, since the Safety Investigation Board (SIB) is part of the CAA which itself is an affected party, any investigation by it remains questionable from independence and transparency point of view. Hence the investigation of ED 202 initially carried out by the SIB was rejected through a legal process, compelling the authorities to reinvestigate the matter. e. On the intervention of higher judiciary, the authorities have committed to formation of an independent investigation body on the lines of NTSB (USA) and BEA (France) etc. Perhaps formation of Aviation Division is the first step in that direction. f. Despite being a signatory to the Montreal Convention of 1999, the authorities had not amended the Carriage by Air Act - 1967; offering first tier liability of a paltry sum of Rs 39,500.00 only for loss of a human life. Due to ACAG’s efforts, Carriage by Air Act - 2012 was promulgated raising the first tier liability amount to Rs 5 million. Due to its scope of activities, ACAG has become an important stakeholder towards safeguarding the passenger rights and striving towards making Pakistani skies safer for future air travelers. It can contribute significantly towards formation of a transparent and well thought out Aviation Policy being pursued by the newly created Aviation Division. ACAG, therefore requests the Advisor to PM on Aviation to invite it to open a dialogue on future preparedness and measures to be taken incase of any eventuality. Seminars and talks should be initiated involving the families representatives who can shed more light from a different perspective. Some aspects which ACAG is still pursuing for making the Pakistani skies safer for future air travelers and safeguarding the interests of passengers are: a. Lobbying for establishment of independent Transport Safety Board/ Authority. b. Removal of some anomalies that still exist in the Carriage by Air Act -2012. c. Legislation for safeguarding the rights of air passengers in Pakistan as per international conventions. d. Legislation for compelling various disaster mitigation organizations like NDMA, Civil Defense Organization, medical authorities, district management and law enforcement agencies etc to formulate SOPs and lay down responsibilities for efficient and timely handling of any crises situation in future. e. Creation of a “Family Association” as envisaged vide ICAO Circular # AN – 285/166 “ GUIDANCE ON ASSISTANCE TO AIRCRAFT ACCIDENT VICTIMS AND THEIR FAMILIES” and formation of a comprehensive Family Assistance Plan in the aftermath of any accident/ incident. While AirBlue claims to have paid the first tier liability amount of Rs 5 million to about 120 bereaved families, it is punishing those who have been actively pursuing the aims and objectives of ACAG. AirBlue has declined to pay them on the plea that they have gone to the court. Whereas only nine victim families have filed suits for higher compensation. We request the authorities to compel AirBlue Management to pay the compensation to all those bereaved families who have not been paid on one pretext or the other. We also avail this opportunity to express our solidarity with the bereaved families of Bhoja Air Crash. We are already offering them all out support and assistance in dealing with post-accident issues safeguarding some of their legal rights. We demand from the Government that independent and transparent investigation of Bhoja Crash should be completed and made public at the earliest. Till finalization of investigation report, an interim report should be issued as envisaged vide ICAO guidelines. Bhoja Management should also ensure payment of first tier no fault liability to all the bereaved Bhoja Accident families without any further loss of time. We also thank the media, the civil society and other responsible citizen for their unflinching support to our cause. Without their moral support we would not have met the successes highlighted above. We look forward to receiving their continued support for realizing all the objectives of ACAG. Junaid Hamid Chairman AirBlue Crash Affectees Group (ACAG)
Posted on: Sat, 26 Jul 2014 13:28:18 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015