From the Washington Post article; Malaysia Airlines didn't buy computer upgrade that could have given data on missing flight.
Many major airlines use the full package of Swift options. The detail it provides is mandated under international aviation guidelines for airlines that ply the busy North Atlantic corridor between the United States and Europe. There are no such requirements elsewhere in the world, the industry official said.
But MAS say;
"The need for SWIFT has never been mandated and all our aircraft have what is called the Aero H SATCOM communications systems,” Malaysia Airlines said in a statement. “This installation is sufficient to meet all of MAS’s operational requirements and at the same time meets all international requirements that enable us to fly international airways.”
So are MAS, semantically, incorrect in that they would need the full Swift package if they flew the Europe/USA route?