ISLAMABAD, May 23. /TASS/: A special investigative commission is expected to complete its probe into the recent Airbus A320 crash in Pakistan within three months, the country’s Aviation Minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan said on Saturday.
"I promise that the investigation will be transparent," the minister said. "The government will make its outcome available to the public."
"We will try to complete all the procedures within three months," Sarwar Khan continued. "The commission has already begun its investigation, and Airbus experts from France and Germany are expected to join it very soon."
He said Pakistan’s Ministry of Aviation was set to look into the legitimacy and legal status of residential buildings near Karachi Airport, where the crash had taken place.
"At approximately 1,500 acres (about 607 hectares) of land, owned by the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority, buildings were constructed illegally," the minister said. "Those were mistakes committed by previous regimes, and we are still trying to fix them."
"Tall buildings are prohibited in the vicinity of airports," he added. "If illegal residential buildings will be discovered near the airport, relevant measures will be taken."
Airbus A320 passenger plane operated by Pakistan International Airlines, en route to Karachi from Lahore, crashed near Karachi Airport on Friday. The plane had 99 people on board, 97 of them are confirmed dead. A bird strike is seen as the most likely cause of the tragedy.
According to the Pakistani Civil Aviation Minisry’s press service, the plane underwent routine maintenance in March and was found to be in good condition.
