Malaysia Airports Says Yet to Verify Who Owns Abandoned Planes

Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad said on Saturday it is still trying to verify who owns three Boeing jets abandoned at Kuala Lumpur International Airport for which it issued a rare lost-and-found newspaper notice last week.

A cargo company has claimed the aircraft but Zainol Mohd Isa, general manager of the airports operator, said it needed more information to clearly establish ownership.

"As a responsible airport operator, Malaysia Airports undertakes to verify all claims of aircraft ownership with the relevant authorities. Thus far, we have not been able to do so to our satisfaction," he said in a statement.

"As such, we urge the rightful owner to furnish us with the required information for verification purposes."

The statement explained that the three aircraft were parked at the airport in mid-2010 by Air Atlanta Icelandic. Ownership of the planes was then transferred to China-based Shaanxi Sunshine Cargo, which has since ceased operating, and the planes are not currently registered to any company.

The episode has shed light on the usually discreet world of second-hand aircraft trading and the fate of iconic Boeing 747s that are now being stored in the desert or scrapped.

Malaysia Airports first announced it was seeking the owners of the abandoned planes on Thursday, giving them 14 days to claim the unmarked jets, failing which it said it would "sell or dispose" of them.

On Saturday, the company said its actions were in accordance with legal procedures and that any future action will be handled privately with the rightful owner.