Liow: Pilot, cabin crew handled situation professionally
KUALA LUMPUR: Transport Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai has commended the pilot and cabin crew of AirAsia X Flight D7237 for handling the emergency situation on Sunday with professionalism and courage.
The Kuala Lumpur-bound flight from Perth was forced to turn back after the Airbus A330 carrying 359 passengers encountered technical difficulties 90 minutes after take-off.
“The pilot handled the situation with incredible professionalism, and acted swiftly and proficiently to protect the safety of passengers on board.
“The aircraft landed safely at Perth International Airport at 10am on June 25, and all passengers were transferred to the next available flight or the recovery flight at 11.40pm on the same day.”
Liow’s statement came following criticism of the pilot after it was reported that he had asked passengers to pray when the plane had “technical difficulties”.
The pilot was slammed by former law minister Datuk Zaid Ibrahim, who said AirAsia X should hire imams and priests if it was big on prayers.
Zaid said if faced with a similar situation, he would rather the pilot not tell him his death was imminent.
“Pilots have to give hope, and leave the rest to God and the passengers,” he had tweeted.
AirAsia X Group chief executive officer Datuk Kamarudin Meranun yesterday weighed in on the issue in a Facebook post.
“What is wrong with asking for prayers? I would have done the same thing.
“What is wrong with asking for prayers in whatever religion, especially when you are in a tight position, seeking divine intervention while doing whatever humanly possible?
“Making statements is always easy when you are safely on the ground. Such a situation will never be easy to manage, but (the pilot’s) goal was very clear, to land the aircraft safely and ensure the safety of all on board, and that, Alhamdulillah, they did,” he said.
The pilot asking passengers to pray after the aircraft started to shake and vibrate violently midflight received mixed reaction.
Some criticised him for being unprofessional, while others came to his defence, saying the crucial point was that he landed the plane safely.
Liow said he took the incident seriously and had directed Department of Civil Aviation director-general Datuk Seri Azharuddin Abdul Rahman and the authorities to investigate the cause of the malfunction and make public its findings once investigations were completed.