KUALA LUMPUR: Still puzzled by the mystery of missing flight MH370, Malaysian airport authorities now have the opposite problem: three Boeing 747 planes left unclaimed at the country’s main airport. The operators of Kuala Lumpur airport have placed a bizarre advertisement in a Malaysian newspaper seeking the owners of three 747-200F aircraft apparently abandoned there.

“If you fail to collect the aircraft within 14 days of the date of this notice, we reserve the right to sell or otherwise dispose of the aircraft” under Malaysian regulations, said the advertisement in Monday’s edition of The Star.

The notice was addressed to the “untraceable owner” of the planes.

The general manager of the firm which operates the facility said the airport had been trying to contact the planes’ last known owners. He said they were “international” and not Malaysian, but declined to give further details.

“I don’t know why they are not responding. There could be many reasons. Sometimes it could be because they have no money to continue operations,” the general manager said.

Published in Dawn, December 9th, 2015