Anwar Malaysia Airline S 30 Boeing Aircraft Deal A Sign Of Recovery

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Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said Malaysia Airlines Berhad’s (MAB) decision to purchase 30 Boeing aircraft signifies the national carrier’s improved financial health and reflects the country’s strategic trade diplomacy with the United States.
“For the first time last year, it (MAB) did not make a loss because we didn’t ‘sakau’.
“We insisted the management must be proper,” he said, using the Malay term for plundering to emphasise that leakages in the airline’s finances had been curbed.
With MAB now on a stronger footing, Anwar said the government supported its move to purchase the planes from Boeing, alongside additional Airbus jets from France.
“People attack us for buying aircraft - from where are we supposed to buy? Where to buy from? It is either American Boeing or French Airbus,” he said during the National Farmers, Breeders, and Fisherfolk’s Day celebration in Kota Kinabalu today.
He noted that the deals were signed four to five months ago.
Prime Minister Anwar IbrahimEarlier, Investment, Trade, and Industry Minister Tengku Zafrul Abdul Aziz stressed that the aircraft purchase was a corporate decision by Malaysia Aviation Group (MAG), which owns MAB, and did not involve public funds.
“The purchase of the aircraft was a strategic business decision by MAG and was financed using company funds and not the people’s tax money,” Zafrul said on X.
He added that MAG’s order, comprising 18 Boeing 737-8s and 12 Boeing 737-10s, was announced in March, before US President Donald Trump announced new tariffs.
Zafrul said high-value corporate purchases like the Boeing deal contribute to shaping Malaysia’s trade negotiations and reinforce the country’s credibility as a trading partner.
US tariff negotiation
Anwar further said the Boeing deal factored into broader economic and trade discussions with Washington, particularly to protect key exports such as semiconductors and agricultural products from potential tariffs.
US President Donald Trump“When Trump asked, we said, yes, we will buy Boeing from the United States,” he said, adding the move signals Malaysia’s reliability as a trading partner without compromising national pride.
He also pointed out that Malaysia’s semiconductor exports to the US exceed RM200 billion annually, and maintaining tariff exemptions is crucial to safeguarding tens of thousands of jobs in the electronics sector. - Mkini

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