Dutch cyclist Maarten de Jonge cheated death twice in the past six months by deciding not to fly aboard Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 and MH17
Malaysia Airlines has offered to waive fees for any passengers wanting to make changes to their flight itinera
Sixth sense: De Jonge, 29, was supposed to be aboard MH17, but at the last minute he changed his travel arrangements and decided to fly out of Amsterdam on Sunday instead of Thursday
'What has happened is terrible, so many victims, that's a horrible thing,' de Jonge wrote in a statement translated from Dutch.
De Jonge told the Netherlands station RTV Oost that despite his second brush with death, he plans to take another Malaysia Airlines plane this week and has no concerns for his safety.
'I have been lucky twice, that's the third time as well,' de Jonge reportedly said.
De Jonge, who is part of the Terengganu Cycling Team based in Malaysia, had booked a seat on Flight MH17, planning to return to Kuala Lumpur after taking part in national championships in his native Holland earlier this month, the Sydney Morning Herald reported.
But the athlete ultimately decided to take another, cheaper flight with a layover in Frankfurt, Germany, on Sunday.
Calamity: A picture taken on July 18 shows the wreckage of the Malaysia Airlines jet carrying 298 people from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur a day after it crashed, near the town of Shaktarsk, in rebel-held east Ukraine
Undeterred: De Jonge said he is still planning to take a Malaysia Airlines flight to Kuala Lumpur on Sunday
Back in March, de Jonge boarded a different Malaysia Airlines jet instead of Flight MH370, which disappeared somewhere over the Indian Ocean with 239 people on board.
'I could have taken that one just as easily,' de Jonge said in the RTV Oost interview. 'It's inconceivable. I am very sorry for the passengers and their families, yet I am very pleased I'm unharmed.'
In his written statement Friday, de Jonge downplayed his two very close calls, saying that his story is meaningless compared to those of the victims and their families.
He declined to comment further out of respect for the 298 passengers and crew of Flight MH17, at least 189 of them Dutch citizens, who perished in the tragedy.
It is widely believed that a surface-to-air missile shot the Boeing 777 out of the sky over rebel territory on the border between Russia and the Ukraine, but it is not clear who fired it.
On Friday, Malaysia Airlines offered to waive fees for any passengers wishing to delay or cancel their travel plans in the wake of Thursday's disaster. ries
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