JEDDAH – Saudi Arabian Airlines (SAA) announced Wednesday the return of its leased aircraft that was seized at Paris’s Charles de Gaulle Airport, over an existing financial dispute with Eagle Aviation.
The airliner was seized Friday after its arrival from Riyadh by bailiffs acting on instructions from the Saint Nazaire commercial tribunal in the west of France. Eagle Aviation, an aircraft leasing firm based in Saint Nazaire, alleges that it is owed $2 million for providing the aircraft.
Eagle Aviation had been placed under receivership on the grounds of financial situation of the company.
“The aircraft has been recently allowed to depart France for Saudi Arabia after continuous efforts made by officials of Saudia to make a rapid end to the seizure of the leased aircraft,” said Khaled Al-Mulheim, Director General of SAA. He said exhaustive efforts were made to get the plane back to the Kingdom. He further added that the release of the aircraft was made upon a decision by bailiffs on Tuesday against what he called “penniless” Eagle Aviation. “Efforts and pressure through various channels were made to convince the assigned bailiff appointed by the French court to order lifting the seizure made over the aircraft, which arrived to the Saudi airspace.
The plane arrived in the Kingdom early Wednesday.
“Despite the conditions of the contract with that company, which imply that disputes are to be settled in light of the Saudi judicial systems and rules, the case is still pending with the French judiciary, and we are still working on it to regain our full rights and to prevent any probable recurrence of what happened,” he added. – SG