MAS to buy 25 aircraft

MAS to buy 25 aircraft

KUALA LUMPUR (Reuter): Malaysian Airlines System (MAS) plans
to buy 25 aircraft at an estimated cost of around US$4.0 billion
over the next five years, an airline spokeswoman said yesterday.

She said she had no other details of the plan.

A New Straits Times interview published yesterday quoted MAS
Chairman Tajudin Ramli as saying the national carrier did not
have enough aircraft to cope with future traffic growth,
especially between 1998 and 2000.

Malaysia has 12 Boeing 747s in its fleet of 93 aircraft at
present and is taking delivery of a 13th next year.

Tajudin said when the new aircraft arrive, MAS would probably
sell or lease some of its older jets to airlines in which it has
a stake like Royal Air Cambodge, Air Maldives and Jet Airways of
India.

Malaysian Airlines Commercial Director Bashir Ahmad said MAS
was considering 10 new routes for the 1995-2000 period, or about
two a year, including to the Netherlands and Australia.