Passengers of PIA's impounded plane land in Islamabad
Passengers of PIA's impounded plane land in Islamabad
ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) – The passengers, who boarded Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) Boeing 777 that was seized by Malaysia, have reached Pakistan through alternative airline.
According to details, 118 passengers have landed in Islamabad from Kuala Lumpur Airport via Dubai while 54 passengers have been taken back to Pakistan via Doha.
It is pertinent to mention here that Malaysian authorities on Friday had seized PIA Boeing 777 over being defaulter of lease payment.
The plane was taken into custody on court’s order at Kuala Lumpur Airport with passengers on board.
PIA had purchased the aircraft on lease from a Vietnamese company in 2015. The national flag carrier’s spokesman said that the matter was under hearing at British court.
Earlier, Federal Minister for Aviation Ghulam Sarwar Khan hasd claimed that PIA acquired Boeing 777 on expensive lease during tenure of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N).
The aviation minister, while talking to media persons, said that PIA had failed to pay lease on time due to coronavirus pandemic but Malaysian court issued order without listening to arguments of the airlines.
He also said that PIA will appear before London court on January 22 and in Malaysian court on January 24.
