Pak authority slams PIA for being 'unaware of international leasing laws'

Slamming the Pakistan Internation Airlines (PIA) for its "irresponsible attitude and maladministration", the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) said that the PIA seemed to be "unaware of international civil aviation leasing laws".

Citing sources, Geo News reported that the CAA has expressed its displeasure with PIA's "irresponsible attitude and maladministration as it seems to be unaware of international civil aviation leasing laws".

"When PIA knew that Boeing-777 was involved in a court case, why did it allow the aircraft to fly abroad?" the CAA asked.

"Was not PIA aware of the fact that violating international civil aviation laws will embarrass the country?" it added.

Meanwhile, Pakistan's Aviation Minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan has said that the PIA officials will appear before a court in the United Kingdom on January 22 and a Malaysian court on January 24 after failing to pay the lease of an aircraft on time due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

During a media briefing in Rawalpindi on Saturday, the Minister claimed that the Malaysian court had issued an order without listening to any arguments by the national carrier, and blamed the previous Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government for acquiring two aircraft on an expensive lease, reported Geo News.

A PIA aircraft was held back by a local court in Malaysia on Friday due to a legal dispute between the airline and another party.

On Twitter, Pakistan's national carrier said: "A PIA aircraft has been held back by a local court in Malaysia taking one-sided decision pertaining to a legal dispute between PIA and another party pending in a UK court. The passengers are being looked after and alternate arrangements for their travel have been finalized."

Geo News mentioned that the PIA plane was taken on lease from a Vietnamese company in 2015.

A PIA spokesperson has said that the airline's counsel is already presented in Kuala Lampur and has been provided all relevant documents.

The passengers of the seized aircraft arrived in Pakistan via Dubai on Sunday.