KUALA LUMPUR: The Boeing 777-200ER of MAS that disappeared over the South China Sea on Saturday with 239 people onboard suffered a broken wing tip that was fully repaired and cleared to fly.
MAS group chief operating officer Ahmad Johari Yahya said the plane was involved in a minor collision with another aircraft that led to the broken wing in 2012.
"A portion of the wing tip, approximately a metre, was torn. It has been repaired by Boeing and we also got the clearance from them.
"The repair was approved by relevant authorities," he said.
He was responding to speculation over what happened to MH370 which went off the radar screen early Saturday en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing.
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