KUALA LUMPUR: The government’s support for Malaysia Airlines Bhd (MAB) in buying 16 more aircraft from Boeing will see a positive impact to the number of tourists to the country, says Tourism and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz.
He said the recent deal over the purchase of 787 Dreamliners and eight 737 MAX between the American aircraft maker and MAB in Washington DC is expected to see the reinstatement of the previously closed international flight routes and at the same time, to ensure the increase on the number of tourists from Europe and the US.
“Do you know how difficult it was when our national carrier had to stop flying to Los Angeles, Amsterdam, Frankfurt, Stockholm and so on?
“What the Prime Minister (Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak) had announced was timely because Malaysia Airlines needs to fly everywhere, to bring more tourists to this country,” he told reporters after launching the Kuala Lumpur and Selangor-level ‘Keretapi Sarong #SayangMalaysia’ programme here yesterday.
Mohamed Nazri was commenting on Najib’s announcement on the deal worth more than US$10 billion (RM41.9 billion) during the latter’s work visit to the US recently.
Asked on the view by Pakatan Harapan chairman Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad that the visit was not fruitful, he said it came as no surprise as the former prime minister would always have negative perceptions on any government effort.
“(It is) very simple… the last time the prime minister went to China, he (Dr Mahathir) condemned Najib by saying that (Malaysia) only wanted to do business with the Chinese.
When Najib went to the US, it (looked like it) was wrong too. We don’t put all our eggs in one basket,” added Mohamed Nazri. — Bernama