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.