SUBANG JAYA, May 29 — Malaysia Airlines (MAS) had handled the Flight MH370 tragedy in the “best” possible way, the national carrier’s union said today, but added that the loss-making company needs to move forward now to ensure it stays afloat.
Mohd Jabbarullah Abd Kadir, executive secretary of Malaysian Airlines System Employees Union (Maseu), also defended the federal government’s handling of the crisis, insisting that despite widespread criticism, all necessary steps had been taken.
“I think what MAS has done, the government has done, that is the best,” he told reporters at the union’s office here.
Mohd Jabbarullah, whose union represents 8,000 of MAS’s 13,500 employees, stressed that the airline does not “compromise” on safety, citing as proof the existence of former MAS pilots, engineers and cabin crews in other airlines globally.
He reiterated Maseu’s recent call for several top management figures in MAS to resign “with dignity”, saying that the union feels that the company has to focus on restoring its image and fortunes.
MAS should set up a body dedicated to dealing with the MH370 tragedy, he suggested.
“During MH370, we kept quiet, we wanted to let the government handle first. Now I think it has entered a new phase, MAS has to put aside MH370, a body that has to coordinate, but day to day operations, we have to go on. If not, how to correct the image?” he said.
He said management has failed to turn the airline’s fortunes, adding that the MH370 crisis alone didn’t cause its financial problems.
He said new management might be able to turn the airline around.
Flight MH370, a Beijing-bound Boeing 777-200ER jetliner carrying 239 people, disappeared off the coast of Kota Baru in the early hours of March 8 in a mystery that has continued to baffle aviation experts worldwide.
