KARACHI:
The second aircraft of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), which returned from Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia, has also been added to the fleet. On Saturday, the aircraft took off from Karachi and landed in Lahore.
Due to an issue with the leasing business, PIA’s two Airbus 320s have been grounded in Jakarta since September 2021.
In September 2021, the two Airbus 320 aircraft that were leased in 2012 were returned by the PIA administration. Payments for the plane parking had resulted in a significant loss for the national flag carrier.
The monthly cost incurred by the PIA by the planes parked at Jakarta’s Soekarno-Hatta International Airport was approximately $600,000.
In the past, the airline had offered to pay AirAsia, the leasing firm, for extra costs, such as maintenance checks for the aircraft. The aircraft with the registration numbers AP-BLY (msn 2926) and AP-BLZ (msn 2944), however, had not been sold by AirAsia.
To assist with the return of these two aircraft that were left stranded at Jakarta airport, a delegation headed by Aviation Secretary Saif Anjum travelled to Indonesia in October of last year.
As a result of such discussions, one of the planes was recovered in December and made landfall in Karachi after a $13 million payment via Bangkok.
Last month, the second aircraft made a second trip back to the nation. It departed from Jakarta and landed in Bangkok, where it refuelled before continuing on to Karachi.
