Company claiming ownership of jets 'abandoned' at Malaysian airport

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, Dec. 11 (UPI) -- The mystery of the three abandoned cargo jets at a Malaysian airport may have found a solution as a company has come forward to claim them.

A company called SWIFT Air Cargo has come forward to claim ownership of the three Boeing 747-200F cargo jets after the Kuala Lumpur International Airport took out newspaper ads seeking the owner of the planes.

The airport said the planes have been parked at the hub for more than a year and officials were unable to identify their owner or owners, but SWIFT said on its website that the company has been in contact with Malaysia Airports officials for months.

"SWIFT is understandably very concerned when MAHB (Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad) declares to the world that 'exhaustive steps' were taken to find a contact person, yet SWIFT has been meeting with MAHB on a consistent basis," the company said.

The company said it has been meeting with officials, including the chief operating officer and the general manager of the airport.

"Based on this evidence, SWIFT is unable to fathom the reason for MAHB's declaration that it has taken 'exhaustive steps' without being able to find a "contact person" when all along, SWIFT was fulfilling its obligations," the company said.

The website said SWIFT has the necessary documents to prove ownership of the planes to airport officials.

The ads taken out by the airport said the planes would be sold within 14 days unless the owner came forward.

"They've yet to pay the parking fee -- where do we send the bill?" Malaysia Airports general manager Zainol Mohd Isa said earlier this week.