PUTRAJAYA – Transport Minister Anthony Loke will submit to the cabinet a special audit report by the Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia (CAAM) regarding several issues plaguing national carrier Malaysia Airlines.
Loke said that besides CAAM’s special audit into Malaysia Aviation Group (MAG), the cabinet will also be briefed on the findings of a surprise visit CAAM had carried out on the airline’s parent company’s engineering department in June.
The ministry takes “very serious concern” with the issues affecting MAG, Loke said, and the reports to be presented to cabinet will also include the age of the MAS aircraft which have faced technical issues in recent times.
“Everything that has been collected (by CAAM) will be presented to the cabinet this week (during its meeting on Wednesday),” he told a press conference at his ministry’s headquarters, here, today.
“I’ve also been in touch with (MAG’s) group managing director Datuk Izham Ismail and I’ve asked him to take the necessary follow ups for smoother operations,” Loke said.
Last week, Loke’s predecessor Datuk Seri Wee Ka Siong urged Putrajaya to thoroughly investigate a series of technical issues and emergency landings involving MAS.
Expressing concern over a potential decline in public confidence in MAS, Wee highlighted eight reported incidents involving the airline since 2023, raising questions about the continued safety of its flights.
In response to the MCA president’s remarks, Loke said it is “unfortunate” that a former transport minister would question the professionalism and capability of the flag carrier.
“I have no doubts regarding MAG’s professionalism and I have always believed in their ability to ensure that everything is done safely (while) ensuring customers’ confidence.
“But, of course, we’re not downplaying public concerns, (as evidenced by) CAAM’s move to initiate immediate investigations even before (Wee) raised the issue,” added Loke, who is also DAP secretary-general.
He also said other global airlines have faced technical issues due to supply chain disruptions, urging the public to not falsely “single out” MAS.
Others in the aviation industry, such as Cathay Pacific, Singapore Airlines and Thai Airways, have been similarly impacted, Loke said.
Last Saturday, MAG announced that it will reduce its flights and routes between now and December 2024 to take “corrective measures”, following service disruptions that have plagued its aircraft recently.
Izham said the decision to reduce its network was “temporary” and was in response to the recent disruptions affecting services provided by Firefly, MAS and its pilgrimage arm Amal during the week of August 19, 2024.
He added that the disruptions were due to weather, technical and manpower challenges, supply chain constraints, and the ongoing normalisation of global aviation operations post-pandemic. – August 26, 2024