KUALA LUMPUR – Malaysia Airlines has apologised for service disruptions involving its Doha-Kuala Lumpur route, following the delay of flight MH165 that was to have departed Doha, Qatar, for KLIA at 8.05am yesterday.
As a result of that delay, subsequent flights between the two cities, scheduled for today and tomorrow, have been affected.
“Malaysia Airlines regrets the prolonged delay of flight MH165 from Doha to Kuala Lumpur on 12 August 2024.
“This has also affected subsequent Kuala Lumpur-Doha-Kuala Lumpur flights between 13 to 14 August 2024,” the airline said in a statement this evening.
It said there were aircraft engine issues which the airline was working hard to resolve, adding that it was “committed to minimising further disruptions” to its operations.
“Malaysia Airlines apologises to passengers for the disruption to their travel plans, and appreciates their patience and understanding.”
It added, passengers have been reallocated on flights offered by Qatar Airways, while some are being accommodated at hotels near the Doha airport with full board meal arrangements.
A check on the Flightradar24 website showed that MH165 scheduled to depart Doha yesterday at 8.05am for Kuala Lumpur had been cancelled, while the same flight today (August 13) had been rescheduled to 9.45pm (Doha time) as an estimated departure time.
For the Kuala Lumpur to Doha flight, a check on Google showed that MH164 had departed KLIA at 6.34pm today, more than 15 hours late from its scheduled departure time at 2.55am.
The airline’s statement came after social media users posted about being stuck at the Doha airport waiting for Kuala Lumpur-bound flights.
X user @faizalhamssin said his flight had been rescheduled to later that day but the airline had provided no confirmation of this.
“A scene of chaos at Doha International Airport. Some passengers have been stranded here since 24 hours ago (8am Qatar time). I arrived here 2 hours ago; my flight has also been ‘retimed’ to tonight,” he posted.
He added that many passengers are still waiting for their hotel arrangements, with children crying and elderly individuals sitting on the floor. He also noted that this is not his first negative experience with the airline, as he endured a similar situation in May.
Another user, @khairulnuar, reported being stranded at the airport for over 48 hours with no resolution provided by the airline.
“Been stranded at Doha airport for over 48 hours, yesterday they provided a hotel, what luck will we get today… we want to go home but there is no solution.” – August 13, 2024