KUALA LUMPUR, June 28 ― AirAsia founder Tan Sri Tony Fernandes praised the crew of Flight D7 237, whose pilot has come under fire for asking passengers to pray when an engine failed during the flight.
The AirAsia Group chief executive officer said Captain Ibrahim’s announcements had kept everyone calm, according to the many messages he had received.
“If it was a full service airline the pilot would have been a hero. But because it's a low cost carrier press and so called experts make wild accusations and forget the heroics of our crew,” Tony said yesterday on his Facebook page.
“Airasia don't make engines and all airlines have engine failures. But when it does happen it takes great pilots and great leadership in times of crisis. I'm beaming with pride,” he added.
Former minister and current DAP member Datuk Zaid Ibrahim criticised the pilot of Flight D7 237 for reportedly asking passengers to pray during the rocky flight that was forced to return to Perth, saying that he preferred “pilot don’t tell me death is imminent”.
Media reports, however, also said that passengers were asked to stay calm and told to practise the brace position for an emergency landing.
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau reportedly said Monday that the first engine on the twin-engine A330 Airbus aircraft had failed during the Kuala Lumpur-bound Sunday flight with 359 passengers on board.
The plane landed safely without incident in Perth.
Australian and Malaysian transport authorities are both investigating the incident, as are AirAsia and engine maker Rolls Royce.
