The Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) welcomed back its second Airbus 320 aircraft, which was retrieved from Jakarta, Indonesia, and has now joined the airline’s fleet. This aircraft flew from Karachi to Lahore on Saturday, marking its return to service.
The two Airbus 320 aircraft had been stranded in Jakarta since September 2021 due to a dispute with the leasing company. PIA had returned these leased aircraft in September 2021, leading to significant financial losses for the national carrier.
Also Read: Concerns Rise as Another PIA Air Hostess Goes Missing in Canada
The airline had been incurring monthly expenses of around $600,000 for parking the planes at Jakarta Soekarno-Hatta International Airport. Despite proposing additional expenses, including aircraft maintenance checks, to the leasing company, AirAsia, the offer was declined, and the planes, registered as AP-BLY (msn 2926) and AP-BLZ (msn 2944), were not sold.
Efforts to repatriate the aircraft intensified when a delegation led by Aviation Secretary Saif Anjum visited Indonesia in October last year. Following negotiations, one of the planes was successfully retrieved in December, arriving in Karachi via Bangkok after a payment of $13 million.
The second aircraft returned to Pakistan last month, departing from Jakarta and refueling in Bangkok before landing in Karachi. With both aircraft now back in service, PIA aims to overcome the challenges posed by the dispute with the leasing company and resume normal operations.
