It’s a sound that haunts the residents of Model Colony in Karachi. The roar of engines, far too low, followed by a silence that feels heavier than the noise. Then, the blast. When Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) Flight 8303 went down in May 2020, it wasn't just another tragic headline. It was a breaking point. For a country that once boasted one of the finest airlines in Asia—the very airline that helped launch Emirates—the recurring nightmare of airplane crashes in pakistan has become a grim, repetitive cycle of grief and bureaucratic finger-pointing.
Why does this keep happening?
If you ask a local pilot, they might tell you about the "chalta hai" (it'll do) attitude. If you ask the regulators, they'll point to technical failures or "unforeseen weather." But the reality is a messy, tangled knot of political interference, crumbling infrastructure, and a shocking scandal involving fake pilot licenses that effectively grounded Pakistan's reputation globally. Honestly, it's a lot to process, and it’s not just about one bad engine or a single storm.
The Scars of the Past: A Pattern of Tragedy
You can't talk about aviation safety here without looking at the sheer scale of the losses. Since the 1960s, the country has seen dozens of major incidents. We aren't just talking about small Cessnas. We're talking about wide-body jets carrying hundreds of people.
Remember 2010? Airblue Flight 202. It slammed into the Margalla Hills in Islamabad during a monsoon rain. All 152 people on board died. It remains the deadliest crash on Pakistani soil. The investigation eventually blamed "captain's error," but that's a neat way of wrapping up a story that had layers of fatigue and communication breakdowns.
Then there was 2012. Bhoja Air. Another approach to Islamabad, another disaster.
Then 2016. PK-661. The ATR-42 crashed near Havelian, killing everyone including the beloved singer-turned-preacher Junaid Jamshed. That one felt personal to the whole country. It felt like the safety net had completely snapped.
What Really Happened With the Fake License Scandal?
This is where things get truly bizarre. In the wake of the 2020 Karachi crash, Pakistan’s Aviation Minister, Ghulam Sarwar Khan, dropped a bombshell in the National Assembly. He claimed that nearly 40% of Pakistani pilots held "dubious" or fake licenses.
Think about that for a second.
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Basically, the government admitted that out of 860 active pilots, 262 hadn't actually sat the exams themselves. They paid someone else to take them. The fallout was immediate. The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) banned PIA from flying to Europe. The UK followed suit. The US downgraded Pakistan's safety rating. It was a self-inflicted wound that the aviation industry is still bleeding from today.
While the government later backtracked on the exact numbers—claiming it was more about "procedural irregularities" than flat-out forgery—the damage was done. It confirmed what many people already feared: the system was compromised by nepotism and corruption.
The Technical Reality: Aging Fleets and Tight Budgets
Maintenance isn't cheap. In a struggling economy, it’s often the first thing to suffer.
PIA has been hemorrhaging money for decades. When an airline is billions of rupees in debt, buying the latest diagnostic tools or keeping a massive inventory of spare parts becomes a secondary priority to just keeping the lights on.
The Engine Trouble
In the Havelian crash (PK-661), the investigation focused on a fractured turbine blade. But it wasn't just the break; it was how the engine had been maintained in the months leading up to the flight. There were reports of "deferred maintenance." That’s a polite industry term for "we'll fix it later." Sometimes, later never comes.
Ground Infrastructure
It's not just the planes. It's the dirt and the sky. Many of Pakistan’s domestic airports are tucked into some of the most treacherous terrain on Earth. Look at Gilgit or Skardu. These are "VFR only" (Visual Flight Rules) airports, meaning pilots have to see the runway to land. There’s no automated system to guide you in through the clouds. One wrong turn in a valley and you're hitting a mountain wall.
Even at the major hubs like Lahore or Karachi, bird strikes are a constant menace. Why? Because the areas surrounding the airports often have poor waste management, attracting thousands of birds. It sounds like a small thing until a kite gets sucked into a jet engine during takeoff.
The Culture of "Inshallah" vs. Standard Operating Procedures
There is a deep-seated cultural element here that aviation experts often discuss in hushed tones. It’s the tension between religious fatalism and the rigid, almost robotic requirements of a cockpit.
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In aviation, you follow the checklist. Period. You don't skip a step because you've flown the route a thousand times. You don't ignore an alarm because "it's probably just a glitch."
The final report on the 2020 Karachi crash was chilling. The pilots were reportedly discussing the coronavirus pandemic while they ignored multiple warnings from air traffic control. They tried to land with the landing gear still retracted. They scraped the engines on the runway, took off again, and then the engines failed because they had been physically destroyed by the friction.
It was a series of human errors so profound they almost felt impossible. It pointed to a total breakdown in Crew Resource Management (CRM).
Why This Matters to You
If you're booking a flight within Pakistan, these statistics are terrifying. But it’s important to look at the nuance. International carriers flying into Pakistan—like Emirates, Qatar, or Turkish—operate under their own strict safety protocols and international oversight. The "danger" is largely concentrated in domestic operations and the national flag carrier.
The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) of Pakistan has been under immense pressure to split its regulatory functions from its commercial ones. For years, the CAA was the judge, jury, and executioner. They ran the airports and they checked the safety of the planes. That’s a massive conflict of interest.
The Road to Recovery (Or Lack Thereof)
Is it getting better? Kinda.
The government has been trying to privatize PIA for what feels like an eternity. The logic is that a private owner wouldn't tolerate the bloat and the "ghost employees" that have haunted the airline for years. There have been massive layoffs and "Right Sizing" initiatives.
- New Oversight: EASA has conducted audits to see if the ban can be lifted.
- Tech Upgrades: Some airports are finally getting better radar and instrument landing systems.
- Pilot Vetting: The licensing process has been (supposedly) overhauled to prevent cheating.
But the ghost of airplane crashes in pakistan looms large. Every time a plane hits a pocket of turbulence over the Hindu Kush, passengers hold their breath a little tighter than they might on a flight over the Midwest.
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Actionable Steps for the Informed Traveler
If you have to travel within Pakistan, you don't have to just roll the dice. You can make choices that statistically improve your safety.
Check the Airline's Recent Audit Status Before booking, see if the airline is IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) certified. This is an international benchmark. While PIA has struggled, some newer private carriers in Pakistan have been working hard to maintain these standards to compete.
Fly During Daylight and Clear Weather Given the terrain issues in northern Pakistan, morning flights are generally safer. The weather is more predictable, and visibility is better. If a flight to Gilgit is delayed due to weather, don't complain to the staff. They are doing you a favor.
Prefer Newer Private Carriers AirSial and Fly Jinnah are the newer players on the block. Because they are newer, their fleets are generally younger, and they are operating under intense scrutiny to prove they aren't "the old guard."
Stay Informed on Air Traffic Control Reports This sounds nerdy, but follow aviation news sites like The Aviation Herald. They report on "incidents" that don't make the mainstream news—things like smoke in the cabin or minor hydraulic leaks. It gives you a much better picture of an airline's daily health than a glossy brochure does.
Understand the Geography If you are flying into Islamabad or the North, realize that you are in a high-risk terrain zone. Keep your seatbelt fastened at all times, even when the sign is off. Clear-air turbulence in the mountains is no joke and causes more injuries than people realize.
The story of aviation in Pakistan is a tragedy of wasted potential. It’s a country that should be a global transit hub, given its location. Instead, it’s a cautionary tale about what happens when politics and safety mix. The only way forward is a total, transparent overhaul—one where "good enough" is no longer the standard.