Pakistan International Airlines’ jet seized in Malaysia for unpaid dues

A BOEING 777 jet operated by Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) was impounded on May 29 in Kuala Lumpur over unpaid charges to a leasing company, forcing the carrier to send a replacement aircraft to pick up stranded passengers.

A Malaysian court ordered the plane to be seized on the lessor’s request, PIA spokesperson Abdullah Hafeez Khan said in a statement.

The state-owned airline will seek legal remedies to free the plane, Khan said, saying that the disputed amount has already been paid. This is the second time in the past two years that a PIA aircraft has been seized in the South-east Asian nation.

A spokesperson for AerCap Holdings, which Khan identified as the lessor, didn’t respond to a request seeking comment.

PIA has been struggling to overcome its financial problems after the European Union banned its fight operations in 2020 over fake pilot licences. BLOOMBERG