SIALKOT (The Thursday Times) — A Boeing 767 that had stood at Sialkot International Airport since August 2017 has been sold at auction for more than $400,000, ending a nine-year saga over an aircraft its Thai operator left behind.
Airport spokesperson Muhammad Umair Khan confirmed the sale. The auction was held under court orders, and the airport administration said the parking and other charges owed on the aircraft were recovered from the proceeds. Neither the final price nor the buyer has been made public.
The aircraft, a Boeing 767-300ER registered HS-JAS and built in 1991, had flown charter services for Thailand’s Jet Asia Airways. It had been parked at Sialkot since August 29, 2017, after the airline ran into financial trouble and stopped flying.
Years of unpaid fees
By 2023, according to reports at the time, the unpaid parking fees had grown so large that they exceeded the value of the aircraft, and the operator could not be reached. The airport went to court and obtained an order to auction the jet, and an auction set for that December carried a reserve price of $1.2 million.
The airport invited buyers again in May this year, setting a minimum price of $400,000 and offering the jet for engineering work, spare parts, training, conversion to a freighter, or other aviation projects. A notice in October scheduled an open auction for November 6, with the aircraft sold as it stood and where it stood.
Reports said the engines, passenger seats, and landing gear were still in good condition. Whether the jet can fly again would depend on technical inspections, regulatory approval, and what its new owner plans to do with it.
Sialkot’s privately built airport, which serves one of Pakistan’s main export hubs, has been adding routes this month, with Saudi carrier flynas announcing flights to Jeddah.
