Private jet charter company says Dr M’s plane was not sabotaged
(The Star) – A private jet charter has corroborated the findings of the Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia (CAAM), saying that there is no indication that Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s chartered plane was sabotaged.
“VistaJet confirms the recent statements of the Malaysian Authorities that one of the company’s aircraft had a technical issue in its normal course of operations before departure which at no point jeopardized safety,” VistaJet International said.
In a press statement on Sunday (April 29), it added that another VistaJet aircraft was immediately made available to fulfil Dr Mahathir’s schedule.
Earlier on Saturday (April 28) CAAM chairman Datuk Seri Azharuddin Abdul Rahman said that the aircraft was unable to fly due to air leakage from the left hand nose wheel, which is a minor and routine technical fault.
Dr Mahathir, who is Pakatan Harapan chairman, had claimed on Friday that the plane he had boarded for a flight to Langkawi was sabotaged.
He claimed that just before takeoff, the pilot announced that the plane had been damaged and immediate repairs could not be made.
“I should have arrived in Langkawi before Friday prayers but the plane was damaged. Luckily, the pilot was able to detect the damage – if not I would have died in a crash,” he said.
The Government had ordered an immediate investigation into his claims.
