Stranded crew of seized PIA plane to return

Islamabad, Jan 18 (IANS) 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.
--IANS ksk/