Stranded passengers of seized PIA plane in Malaysia return home

ISLAMABAD: At least 118 passengers of the Pakistan International Airlines’ (PIA) seized aircraft in Malaysia returned to their homeland on Saturday night, ARY News reported.

According to the details, the passengers arrived at Islamabad International Airport by a foreign airlines’ flight EK-614 via Dubai. The flight was departed from Dubai airport at 7:30 pm today.

However, another flight carrying 54 passengers will land at the Islamabad airport at 1:40 am via Doha, said sources. A spokesperson of the national flag carrier had said earlier today that the PIA was taking care of the stranded passengers in Dubai and Doha, adding that breakfast had also been presented to the passengers.

Earlier on January 15, a Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) aircraft had been “held back” in Malaysia over a legal dispute between the airline and a firm pending in a UK court.

The national flag carrier’s spokesperson in a Twitter statement had 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.”

Aviation sources had told ARY News that the aircraft was barred from taking off from the Kuala Lumpur airport and the passengers who were already on-board were off-loaded.