Our aircraft are safe, assure MAS and AirAsia

11 June 2009

PETALING JAYA, MALAYSIA - Malaysia Airlines (MAS) and AirAsia have assured passengers that all their aircraft are safe as they are well-maintained.

The airlines were responding to the move by Air France to replace the airspeed sensors or pitot tubes on its Airbus A330 planes after one crashed into the Atlantic Ocean on June 1, killing all 228 passengers.

It was speculated that the sensors may have frozen during a storm at high altitude and recorded inaccurate airspeed data.

MAS engineering and maintenance senior general manager Mohd Roslan Ismail said the pitot probes in all its A330-200 planes had been replaced with the latest model as recommended by Airbus since September last year.

'We have upgraded the Thales -AA to the Thales -BA pitot probe as recommended by Airbus,' he said in a statement yesterday.

AirAsia chief executive officer Datuk Seri Tony Fernandes said its A330 planes met all the requirements of the various air safety authorities.

'The A330 is a very mature aircraft with hundreds flying daily throughout the world, providing a safe and efficient service,' he said.