PIA plane stuck in Malaysia ‘will return soon’
Management of the air carrier is focusing on enhancing training standards and facilities at PIA Training Centre. PHOTO: EXPRESS
A subcommittee of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of parliament on Thursday was informed by the Aviation Division that a Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) plane – stopped in Malaysia over a claim of unpaid dues – would be brought back soon.
The meeting of the subcommittee was chaired by its convener, Syed Hussain Tariq.
During the huddle, the audit objections related to the Aviation Division from 2005-06 to 2017-18 were reviewed.
Senator Mushahid Hussain Syed, a member of the panel, inquired about the PIA plane stopped at Kuala Lumpur International Airport.
The aviation secretary informed him that a Boeing 777 aircraft of the PIA had reached Kuala Lumpur.
He added that one of its engines was purchased on lease and they had already paid off the company it was bought from.
The aviation secretary told the subcommittee that the aircraft would be recovered as the PIA lawyers were currently engaged in taking up the matter in a Malaysian court.
The convener inquired when the PIA plane would be returned.
Senator Mushahid said he was leaving for Kuala Lumpur next week.
The aviation secretary assured him that the plane would be retrieved by then.
He added every document proving that the payment had been made was provided to the Malaysian court.
The aircraft’s leasing company approached a court, claiming that the PIA owed it $4.5 million.
However, the PIA disputed this claim, saying that it owned the aircraft.
The national carrier said the leasing company only owned one of the engines and it had already paid $1.8 million for it.
A PIA spokesperson said the claim submitted by the company to seek the impounding order was “incorrect”.
He added that the national carrier had engaged its legal team in Kuala Lumpur to contest the matter in the court.
The spokesperson stated that the passengers of the disputed plane had been accommodated on an alternative aircraft.
He continued that the disputed Boeing 777 would also operate as a normal commercial flight from Kuala Lumpur.
In January 2021, another PIA's Boeing 777 was stopped in Malaysia for about two weeks over a case involving $14 million in unpaid dues. (With input from agencies)