Pakistan International Airlines’ remaining fleet of ATR aircraft will be suspended pending inspections by the country’s aviation authorities following a recent accident.

PIA says the move affects its fleet of five ATR 42-500s and five ATR 72-500, which in-turn will affect its services to smaller airports. It did not give a timeframe for how long the inspections will take.

Media reports from Pakistan indicate that the Civil Aviation Authority announced the decision on Sunday 11 December.

On 7 December, a PIA-operated ATR 42-500, bearing MSN 663 and registration AP-BHO, crashed in mountainous terrain while operating a Chitral-Islamabad service, killing 42 passengers and five crew.

Source: Cirium Dashboard