The Boeing 777 that went missing after taking off from Malaysia on Saturday was "airworthy", Malaysia's head of civil aviation has insisted, as questions emerged over whether Malaysia Airlines had heeded warnings about potential problems on that model of plane.
Last November, the United States' Federal Aviation Administration told airlines around the world they should examine Boeing 777's for cracking or corrosion under the fuselage skin.
Such corrosion, if left unfixed, "could lead to rapid decompression and loss of structural integrity of the aeroplane," the FAA said, in a so-called AD or Airworthiness Directive.
On Wednesday, Azharuddin Abdul Rahman, the director general of Malaysia's Department of Civil Aviation, said Malaysia Airlines had received and acted upon the directive, which warned of a potential weak spot in Boeing 777s that could lead to the "loss of structural integrity of the aircraft."
Ahmad Jauhari Yahya, the CEO of Malaysia Airlines, also insisted his company had received and acted on the directive.
"We ensure that all our aircraft are airworthy and comply to all the ADs [ Airworthiness Directives] and the SBS [Service Bulletins]," he said. However, pushed by The Telegraph on whether the missing Boeing 777-200ER had been checked for this specific problem in the wake of the FAA's November directive, he hesitated.
12/03/14 The Telegraph
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Last November, the United States' Federal Aviation Administration told airlines around the world they should examine Boeing 777's for cracking or corrosion under the fuselage skin.
Such corrosion, if left unfixed, "could lead to rapid decompression and loss of structural integrity of the aeroplane," the FAA said, in a so-called AD or Airworthiness Directive.
On Wednesday, Azharuddin Abdul Rahman, the director general of Malaysia's Department of Civil Aviation, said Malaysia Airlines had received and acted upon the directive, which warned of a potential weak spot in Boeing 777s that could lead to the "loss of structural integrity of the aircraft."
Ahmad Jauhari Yahya, the CEO of Malaysia Airlines, also insisted his company had received and acted on the directive.
"We ensure that all our aircraft are airworthy and comply to all the ADs [ Airworthiness Directives] and the SBS [Service Bulletins]," he said. However, pushed by The Telegraph on whether the missing Boeing 777-200ER had been checked for this specific problem in the wake of the FAA's November directive, he hesitated.
12/03/14 The Telegraph
