Pakistan airline chairman resigns after fatal plane crash

The chairman of Pakistan’s embattled national carrier has resigned following a fatal plane crash that killed 47 people last week, one of the country’s deadliest air disasters. Mohammad Azam Saigol tendered his resignation on Monday due to personal reasons, PIA spokesman Danyal Gilani said. Saigol’s resignation came after a Pakistan International Airlines plane crashed into a mountain on the way to Islamabad from the city of Chitral after one of the aircraft’s two turboprop engines failed, killing everyone on board. On Monday PIA grounded its 10 remaining ATR turboprop planes for thorough testing in the wake of the crash and another incident in which a plane was recalled to its parking bay after experiencing a fault just before take off at Multan airport. “The process of carrying out shakedown tests of PIA’s ATR aircraft has now started. CAA and PIA’s Quality Control department are taking part in this thorough examination in which PIA’s all ATR aircraft will be inspected one by one,” a PIA statement said Monday. <br/>