The Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) aircraft was halted from taking off to Islamabad by Malaysian authorities at Kuala Lumpur International Airport on account of a legal conflict. The issue was successfully resolved, and the airplane reached the destination city on Friday evening.
As per sources, a Boeing 777 airplane took off subsequent to being cleared by the Malaysian authorities. Subsequent to a local court’s decision to overturn a previous ruling, the national carrier was granted orders to release the aircraft. The aircraft with registration number AP-BMH was utilized for a ferry flight from Kuala Lumpur to Islamabad without any passengers onboard.
As per the court order, the ex parte injunction order, issued on May 26, 2023, has been nullified. Additionally, the original summons filed on May 24, 2023, has been dismissed without any specific order regarding costs.
The aircraft leasing company filed a claim in court alleging that PIA had an outstanding debt of $4.5 million.
The PIA rejected the claim, citing ownership of the aircraft and clarifying that the leasing company solely owned one of the installed engines. According to the national carrier, the leasing company possesses only a single engine, for which the carrier has already paid $1.8 million.
The release of the aircraft that was seized at Kuala Lumpur International Airport has been confirmed by Abdullah Hafeez Khan, the spokesperson for PIA. This was done after a local court invalidated the May 26 order.
The flight passengers above were provided with an alternate aircraft after it was grounded at the location four days prior. The aircraft was in operation on Friday without any passengers on board.
According to a spokesperson from PIA, the impounding order claim made by the company was deemed incorrect. The speaker stated that the country’s airline had enlisted the services of its legal department located in Kuala Lumpur to challenge the issue in a court of law.
According to the spokesperson, the aircraft passengers were provided alternative accommodations on another plane. The individual stated that the Boeing 777 would be a standard commercial flight departing from Kuala Lumpur.
In January 2021, a Boeing 777 belonging to PIA was detained in Malaysia for approximately two weeks due to an outstanding debt of $14 million.