KUALA LUMPUR, March 11 — Transport Minister Anthony Loke said the government and Malaysia Airlines has not come to any immediate decision on whether or not the national carrier will continue with its purchase for the Boeing 737 MAX 8 after a second crash occurred with the model in less than six months.
Speaking to reporters at Parliament today, Loke said the planes were supposed to be delivered by next year but Malaysia Airlines is studying the various options.
“We don’t have any Boeing 737 MAX 8 but it is supposed to be delivered by next year. We will check with MAS and MAS is studying the various options," Loke said, referring to Malaysia Airlines by its previous acronym, MAS.
“There is no immediate decision right now but I’m not saying we are continuing the deal or cancelling it, just no decisions right now.”
He added that even if Malaysia Airlines and the government wants to review its purchase, they must take into consideration the various legal implications of their action.
On Sunday, the 157 passengers and crew members of a 737 MAX operated by Ethiopian Airlines were killed. It was the same model as the plane that crashed in Indonesia in October, claiming the lives of the 189 people it carried.
This led to fresh questions being raised over the safety of the Boeing model.
