Survivor of May crash of PIA airliner flies again

ISLAMABAD: A survivor of the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) plane crash that killed 97 people on board earlier this year, flew with the national flag carrier again on Saturday.

Only two passengers on board the PIA 8303 flight had survived. On May 22, the plane from Lahore to Pakistan’s financial hub of Karachi plunged into a residential area after both engines failed as it approached Karachi airport. It was Pakistan's deadliest aviation accident in eight years.

One of the survivors, Zafar Masud, chief executive of Bank of Punjab, was greeted by PIA staff on Saturday afternoon as he boarded the PK304 flight from Karachi to Lahore. The airline took to Twitter to thank him for "trusting and supporting" it.

Indebted to @zafar_masud for trusting and supporting #PIA. With your trust and confidence, we commit to achieve the hallmark of excellence with our hardwork and professionalism, and with your continuous support and patronage. PK304/26SEP pic.twitter.com/emeBoeum75 — PIA (@Official_PIA) September 26, 2020

On Friday evening, Masud announced that he was "looking forward to flying again" for the first time after the airplane crash.

Looking forward to flying again tomorrow for the first time post my air crash with @Official_PIA, our national asset. We must support it and work towards it’s revival and improvement. I wish to support it all out for it’s restructuring. 1/3 #PIA — Zafar Masud (@zafar_masud) September 25, 2020

He said he hoped to see PIA "regaining its former glory."

The deadly crash in May shook Pakistan when it resumed domestic flights after shutting them down in March amid the coronavirus pandemic. Most of the passengers on the PK8303 flight were flying home to meet their families over the Eid Al-Fitr holiday after over two months in lockdown.