PIA provided no food, accommodation after plane seized in Malaysia, say frustrated passengers

By
Khalid Iqbal

  • Passengers coming back from Malaysia pile up complaints against PIA and the Pakistani embassy in Malaysia
  • Two days ago, PIA plane was seized in Malaysia on court orders for non-payment of aircraft lease dues
  • PIA leased two planes, including Boeing-777 aircraft, from a Vietnamese company in 2015


ISLAMABAD: PIA and the Pakistani embassy staff in Malaysia did not cooperate, provided no food and no accommodation, said the Pakistanis stranded in Malaysia after a PIA plane was seized at the Kuala Lumpur airport two days ago. The stranded passengers are now home.

The disgruntled passengers said they slept on the floor of the Kuala Lumpur airport for two days, The News reported Monday. 

They reached Islamabad through alternative airlines after the PIA plane was seized. The management of the Islamabad airport did not allow the media to speak to the passengers or take any footage of them.

Read more: Malaysian authorities seize PIA Boeing 777 at Kuala Lumpur airport

As many as 118 passengers landed in Islamabad from Kuala Lumpur airport via Dubai, while 54 passengers were brought back to Pakistan via Doha. 

On Friday, Malaysian authorities seized a Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) Boeing-777 at the Kuala Lumpur airport.

The PIA plane was seized on the orders of a local Malaysian court over the non-payment of aircraft lease dues, sources disclosed.

Seizure of PIA plane in Malaysia: Spokesperson says airline's stance not considered in UK court

PIA had leased two planes, including the Boeing-777, from a Vietnamese company in 2015.

The plane was seized after passengers were already on board. The aircraft's 18-member staff also became stranded in Kuala Lumpur due to the seizure, and will now quarantine for 14 days as per protocols, the sources said.