Saudi aircraft to be released from Paris

The Saudi Arabian Airlines aircraft held at Paris Charles de Gaulle since last Sunday over a dispute concerning fees is being released.

The Boeing 777-200ER, registered HZ-AKK, had been prevented from leaving France following a legal dispute concerning the fees that Britanny-based ACMI operator Eagle Aviation lawyers claim were owed by the Saudi flag-carrier.

Eagle was placed under a liquidation order last month with St Nazaire's commercial court accepting a bid by Azerbaijan's Evsen Group to acquire the company which reported losses of around $6.5 million.

According to sources in France, the Eagle Aviation administrator has given instruction to the bailiff to proceed to lift the seizure of the aircraft after hearing that while Saudi Arabian Airlines owed $2 million to Eagle Aviation, the airline has, counter-claimed that Eagle Aviation owed it $9 million.

Newspapers in Saudi Arabia are reporting that the dispute threatens to affect continuation of services to France.

Eagle has been supplying Saudi Arabian with aircraft for more than three years, primarily to provide inbound flights for pilgrims on the Haj.

Saudi Arabian Airlines chief Khalid Al-Molhem is said to be livid at the action saying that the seizure was "arbitrary" and that the airline had not been informed of the court business.