KARACHI: A Malaysian court has ordered the release of a Pakistani passenger plane, which was held back in Kuala Lumpur over a lease dispute two weeks ago. The plane was detained by the Malaysian authorities after a local court allowed the plane's Dublin-based lessor, Peregrine Aviation Charlie Limited, to keep it grounded, following the non-payment of USD14 million dues by state-owned Pakistan International Airlines (PIA).

According to an official statement here on Wednesday, the aircraft, with 170 passengers on board, was held back in Kuala Lumpur on January 15 over a lease dispute case between the national flag carrier and an Irish company.

The PIA, which had termed the Malaysian court’s judgment “one-sided” said it could not pay the dues on time because of a growing financial crunch caused by the coronavirus pandemic. The airline, however, paid the dues last week, capping a legal battle with the lessor.

The two sides informed the Kuala Lumpur High Court that they have reached an “amicable” settlement to the dispute, the Edge Markets publication quoted airline’s counsel Kwan Will Sen as saying. “With this, the two Boeing aircraft operated by Pakistan International Airlines would be released with immediate effect,” Kwan told the publication. Abdullah Hafeez, the airline's spokesman, also confirmed the development.

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