The Court of the Additional District Judge-III (West), Islamabad, headed by Dr Rasool Bukhsh Mirjat, on Saturday awarded a historic compensation amounting to Rs5.4 billion to the families of eight victims of the 2010 Airblue plane crash.

The court dismissed an appeal filed by Airblue, upholding the airline’s liability in the case. It also imposed a penalty of Rs1 million on the airline for delaying the proceedings.

Airblue Flight 202, a domestic passenger service from Karachi to Islamabad, crashed on July 28, 2010, while attempting to land at Islamabad’s Benazir Bhutto International Airport.

The aircraft, an Airbus A321-231 (registration AP-BJB), struck the Margalla Hills during its final approach in adverse weather conditions. All 152 people on board — 146 passengers and six crew members — were killed, making it the deadliest aviation accident in Pakistan’s history.