KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 14 — The Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah today extended his condolences to the wife and family of Captain Datuk Khairi Mohamad, one of the country’s pioneer civil aviators, who died last Thursday.
In a statement uploaded on Istana Negara’s Facebook page, Al-Sultan Abdullah also expressed sadness over Khairi’s passing and hoped his family would remain patient and strong as they grieved over the loss.
His Majesty also expressed his gratitude and deep appreciation for the services and contribution of the late (Khairi) adding that his death is a great loss to the country and local airline industry.
“Al-Sultan Abdullah prays for his soul to be blessed by Allah SWT and placed among the righteous.” it added.
According to the statement Khairi was the second Malay pilot with Malaysia Airlines Berhad (MAB), after the late Capt Hassan Ahmad, and was promoted to captain after obtaining his Airline Transport Pilot’s Licence (ATPL) in 1968.
He was also one of the few captains who continued to serve MAB after Malaysia-Singapore Airlines (MSA) split up in 1972 and his last position in the company was as flight operations director.
“He was a dedicated and experienced pilot as well as flying instructor,” it added.
It was reported that Khairi, 80, died on Thursday at the Kuala Lumpur Hospital after a battle with liver cancer and kidney complications.
— Bernama
