An offensive article graced AirAsia's latest in-flight magazine, prompting the Southeast Asia's top budget carrier to issue an apology and withdraw the magazine from all of its planes, the Associated Press reported.
The distasteful piece boasted of having responsible pilots who were efficiently trained and would never lose a plane.
Claiming that the latest issue of "travel 3Sixty" magazine was printed before the disappearance of Malaysian Airlines, Kamarudin Meranun, AirAsia Executive Chairman, expressed "deep regret and remorse."
The MH370, carrying 239 passengers, disappeared from March 8 while en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing.
A retired pilot, who worked for both AirAsia and Malaysia Airlines, had written and prepared the monthly aviation column long before the tragic disappearance of the Malaysian flight, Kamarudin said.
"This is a truly difficult time for the nation and words cannot describe how I personally feel of this incident," Kamarudin said in a statement. "It truly saddens me that this article was released at such an inopportune moment. Again, I repeatedly offer my sincere apologies for any discomfort this may have caused."
After a photograph of the article was posted on Twitter by an AirAsia passenger late Friday, it sparked outrage and anger.
The last paragraph read, "Pilot training in AirAsia is continuous and very thorough. Rest assured that your captain is well prepared to ensure your plane will never get lost."
An apology was also reiterated by Tony Fernandes, CEO of AirAsia, according to the AP.
"As soon as we were informed on Twitter, we withdrew. Once again, apologies. It has been a difficult time for all in the industry," he tweeted.
The editorial team of the magazine will have disciplinary action taken against them, Kamarudin said.
"The fate of the Malaysian airline remained a mystery nearly a month after it vanished. A multinational search team is racing against time to find the flight recorders in the Indian Ocean where it was believed to have crashed. No floating wreckage has been found in the water so far," the AP reported.
