Stranded crew of seized PIA plane to return

Islamabad, Jan 18 Eighteen crew members of a Pakistan International Airlines flight which was seized by Malaysian authorities over the non-payment of aircraft lease dues, are expected to arrive in Islamabad on Monday, a media report said.

The aircraft was seized at the Kuala Lumpur Airport on January 15 on the orders of a local Malaysian court.

The Pakistani flag carrier had leased two aircraft, including the seized Boeing-777, from a Vietnamese company in 2015.

All the 172 passengers of the seized plane reached Islamabad on two flights, the Dawn news report quoted a PIA spokesman as saying.

According to the spokesman, 118 passengers arrived aboard an Emirates Airlines flight, while the remaining 54 passengers reached Islamabad in a Qatar Airways flight on Sunday morning.

The 18-member crew, due to reach the Pakistani capital on Monday, includes two pilots.

To review the situation, the country's aviation division has called a meeting of the working group, headed by senior joint secretary of the aviation division Abdul Sattar Khokhar on Wednesday, the Dawn news report quoted sources as saying.

( With inputs from IANS )

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