MAS lost my cat, claims passenger

LABUAN: Malaysia Airlines (MAS) is investigating the claim of a passenger that its ground crew at the Labuan airport had lost his cat on the runway.

The airline said its team in Labuan is looking into the case and it takes serious care and attention when handling all cargo.

“The airline is in touch with Mr Kiran Kumar Nesarajah directly to update him on all developments,” it said yesterday.

A distraught Kiran has claimed that ground crew at the Labuan airport lost his cat, Scooty, on the runway.

In a Facebook posting, he claimed that Scooty was supposed to be transported on board MH7417 from Labuan to Kuala Lumpur on June 24.

Kiran said his white cat with brown spots with a clipped right ear was last seen on the tarmac at 4.37pm that day.

He also wrote that his wife caught the incident on video, after she happened to look out the passenger window.

A video posted by Kiran showed a ground handler wearing a reflective safety vest with the MAS logo, carrying a light brown pet carrier.

The employee then can be seen handing over the pet carrier to two men who were driving an airport transportation buggy.

Subsequently, the men are seen taking the pet carrier away and driving off.

In his post, Kiran said before boarding, the cat was locked in an International Air Transport Associationcertified pet carrier.

“I can tell you exactly how it happened. Someone opened the cage after the cat was checked in and didn't know how to lock it back,” he wrote.

However, he said the airline had told him that the cage was “not locked”.

“Total time searching for the cat (was) 10 minutes before (it was) aborted. (There was) no further information from anyone,” he said, adding that he has not received a single phone call from the airline.