Pakistan restricts Russian freighters after Georgian crash

FOLLOWING the crash of the Sunway Il-76 freighter into the Karachi naval base, all Russian-owned freighters have been grounded at Pakistani airports.

Pakistan’s Civil Aviation Authority spokesperson, Pervez George, said they had been grounded for “technical reasons” although he said Russian aircraft could continue to land in the country. Once they do, however, they will have to go through safety checks.

“We can terminate the license of the airliner if we find that all procedures have not been followed,” George warned.

Russian Pakistani consulate spokesman, Alex Zenkoe, questioned the need to restrict Russian-owned freighters when Sunway is a Georgian company.