PIA - Pakistan International Airlines (PK, Islamabad International) is facing legal action in the United States after engine lessor Willis Lease Finance initiated a lawsuit in the US District Court over unpaid engine leases.

US court records show that Willis filed a complaint against Pakistan International Airlines Corporation Limited in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York on June 8. The case number is 1:2023cv04855 and concerns four individual lease agreements. The lessor took action after issuing five default notices against the airline.

On June 9, the court issued a summons against PIA, and on June 13 ordered an initial pretrial conference. The airline did not have legal representatives in court for the initial proceedings. Anne C. Lefever, a commercial litigation specialist and partner at Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman, who has broad experience in aviation-related legal matters, appeared on behalf of Willis.

A spokesperson for PIA-Pakistan International Airlines declined to comment to ch-aviation on the specifics of the dispute, except to say that the airline has made payment on "all the dues against the engines," and that the engines are now in the re-delivery/return process.