RAWALPINDI: Eighteen crew members of Pakistan International Airlines’ Boeing 777 flight held back by Malaysian authorities due to a British court case over the aircraft lease will arrive here at Islamabad on Monday (today).

To review the situation after the PIA plane was seized in Malaysia over a lease dispute and the airline’s concern over air services agreements with other countries, the aviation division has called a meeting of the working group, headed by senior joint secretary of the aviation division Abdul Sattar Khokhar on Wednesday, sources said.

The working group was formed after the PIA management expressed concern over air services agreements signed with other countries during the previous government.

Besides other senior officials of the aviation, PIACL chief commercial officer and air transport director will attend the meeting.

Meeting called to review PIA’s concern over agreements with other nations

The source said the PIA had expressed concern over the air services agreements in the light of major changes in the aviation policy that had been made by the previous government. Due to the agreements, the officials believe, the national flag carrier suffered heavy losses on part of frequencies and routes.

The meeting will also review the extension of frequency while the international routes issue is also likely to come under discussion.

The exact amendments desired in the ASAs/ MoU with other countries and revision in traffic rights desired by the PIACL in the respective ASAs/MoUs are also on the agenda of the meeting.

Meanwhile, all the 172 passengers of the PIA plane seized in Malaysia reached Islamabad on two flights, while the 18-member crew, including two pilots, would arrive on Monday.

According to PIA spokesman, 118 passengers arrived by Emirates Airlines flight EK-614, while the remaining 54 passengers arrived by Qatar Airways flight QR-632 early on Sunday morning.

On arrival the passengers were received by the senior PIA officials. A large number of the passengers’ family members were present at the Islamabad International Airport.

The passengers after landing at their home country were happy and were heard saying: “We were expecting that we would also be held with our plane.”

“It was quite worrying for me and my family when I heard that the passengers of the PIA plane had been off-loaded and my son who was returning to Pakistan after a long time was among them,” said the father of the boy, whose name could not be known, in a video clip.

Published in Dawn, January 18th, 2021