Pakistani authorities plan to send the cockpit voice recorder (CVR) and flight data recorder (FDR) from the crashed Airblue Airbus A321 to France's Bureau d'Enquetes et d'Analyses this week for decoding.

Both recorders were burnt in the post-crash fire but did not suffer much "evident physical damage", says Airblue's CEO Shahid Khaqan Abbasi.

"The Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority investigation team and the Airbus team here feel that the data can be fully recovered," he adds.

The aircraft crashed in mountainous terrain while approaching Islamabad Airport on 28 July, killing all 152 people on board. Investigators found the aircraft's CVR and FDR on 31 July.

A team comprising officials from Pakistan's CAA, Airbus and International Aero Engines have completed the investigation of the crash site, says Abbasi.

The wreckage will be shifted to a location at Islamabad Airport next week, he adds.

It is not known yet what led to the crash, which occurred while the aircraft was attempting a visual circling approach to land at another runway in Islamabad Airport after it was prevented from landing at its original runway due to wind conditions.

Source: Air Transport Intelligence news