Indonesia's low-cost airline Adam Air Tuesday blamed bad weather for the Monday's crash of one of its Boeing 737-400s in which at least 90 people were killed in West Sulawesi province.

 

"We have experienced pilots and the plane was well worth flying. It might be the weather," Adam Air vice marketing director Pring Saputra was quoted by leading news website Detikcom as saying.

 

"The plane has never skipped routine machine checks and maintenance procedures. The air worthiness holds until the next 12 years," Saputra added.

 

He said the company has 20 B737-400s, and that none of them have ever faced serious troubles before.

 

The ill-fated plane with flight number KI 574 carried 102 passengers and six cabin crews.

 

National news agency Antara said 12 survivors, in very critical condition, were evacuated from the scene.

 

(Xinhua News Agency January 2, 2007)