BLANTYRE, MALAWI - A United States national has been ordered to pay a fine of 3,000,000 Malawian Kwacha (MWK) by a Blantyre Magistrate's Court after landing an aircraft at Bakili Muluzi International Airport without the required authorisation.
The pilot, Terry Lee Jenningson, was taken into custody on Wednesday after arriving on a flight from South Africa.
According to Southern Region Police spokesperson Beatrice Mikuwa, authorities detained the pilot after discovering that the aircraft had landed without fulfilling the necessary regulatory requirements.
Magistrate Paul Chiotcha sentenced Jenningson to pay the MWK3 million fine, with an alternative sentence of one year in prison.
Following the ruling, the pilot paid the fine, allowing the aircraft to be cleared for departure from Malawi.
The penalty of MWK3 million is approximately K33,000 in Zambian Kwacha, based on the exchange rate cited in the report.
The aircraft had reportedly entered Malawi to pick up a family that had been on holiday before transporting them onward to Portugal.