For the second time in two years: Boeing 777 is again held by Pakistan International

Somehow, flight PK894 from Islamabad to Kuala Lumpur is riddled with eavesdropping. An unpleasant incident is now being repeated on the PIA route. The Malaysian authorities seized the Boeing 777-200-ER for the second time in two years.

It’s actually the same plane. The AP-BMH is about 17 years old and served Vietnam Airlines for ten years before it was transferred to the long-haul fleet of Pakistan International Airlines in 2015.

Four million dollars of debt

The current incident occurred after their arrival in Kuala Lumpur on May 29. Reason: PIA is said to owe Malaysian conglomerate MAA four million US dollars for the lease of two aircraft. MAA sued the airline for payment in a Malaysian court.

A spokesperson for the airline told Khama Press News AgencyThat the open amount has already been paid. The airline is also considering legal options for regaining access to the device. It is currently not entirely clear when the Boeing 777 will be launched again.

The government had to help

The machine was also confiscated in Kuala Lumpur for the first time in January 2021. Also at that time, it was a matter of unpaid rental fees. Irish leasing company Peregrine Aviation sued because PIA owed money to lease two Boeing 777s. It was reportedly about $14 million.

Two years ago, the airline even tried diplomatic channels to release the device again. The country’s government gave a guarantee that the debt would be repaid. “This is unacceptable and PIA has requested the assistance of the Government of Pakistan to resolve this issue through diplomatic channels,” the airline said in a statement at the time.