PIA Regains Aircraft From Indonesia After Successful Talks.

Pakistan’s national carrier has successfully resolved a long-standing issue by retrieving another aircraft that was stranded in Indonesia for approximately two years. A special flight, PK-9897, took off from Jakarta, refueled in Bangkok, and continued its journey to Karachi. The confirmation of the plane’s arrival from Indonesia aligns with previous negotiations between a PIA delegation and Indonesian authorities.

This aviation matter persisted for two years, with the first aircraft being recovered in December of the previous year after a payment of $13 million. PIA has yet to officially confirm the arrival of the second plane, and details regarding the payment made for its retrieval remain undisclosed.

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The resolution stems from high-level talks involving a PIA delegation, the federal government, and Indonesian counterparts that transpired in October. The background of the dispute involves two Airbus A320 aircraft belonging to PIA, which had been stationed in Jakarta since September 2021 due to a disagreement with the leasing company.

Initially, PIA returned the Airbus A320 planes to the leasing company in 2021. However, the leasing company rejected the return, claiming that the aircraft did not meet the specified criteria outlined in the contract.

Pakistan International Airlines faces various challenges at present, leading to calls for the privatization of the national carrier due to its economic nonviability. Former Aviation Minister Khawaja Saad Rafique emphasized the necessity of privatization to avoid potential operational shutdowns.

During the PDM regime, a decision was made to privatize the financially struggling Pakistan International Airlines in a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Privatization chaired by then Finance Minister Ishaq Dar. The caretaker minister for Privatization, Fawad Hassan Fawad, has also expressed support for privatizing the airline. A consultant has been hired for this purpose, and while the entire process is expected to take several months, the advisor has already submitted a comprehensive report on the matter.