PIA couldn't pay lease on seized aircraft due to coronavirus pandemic: Aviation Minister.

ISLAMABAD -- Federal Minister for Aviation Ghulam Sarwar Khan blamed the previous government for acquiring two Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) aircrafts on an expensive lease.

Talking to media , the federal minister said the PML-N government acquired the planes in 2015 on an expensive lease that the national carrier failed to pay on time due to the coronavirus pandemic. He added that a case was being heard in a United Kingdom court but a Malaysian court issued an order without giving the airline a chance to present arguments.

Ghulam Sarwar Khan said the next hearing in London court is on January 22 while the Malaysian court hearing is fixed for January 24. Reports suggest that the owner and director of the company that leased the plane to PIA are Indian nationals with offices located in Dubai, UAE.

It may be mentioned here that the PIA plane was taken on lease from a Vietnamese company in 2015.

A PIA spokesperson said the national carrier's counsel is already presented in Kuala Lampur and has been...