appConfigEntityId

bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

isVideo

articlePageQuery

article

articleSchemaContent

content

hooksArticlePageAdvertisementConfigArticle

hooksArticlePageFloatingButtonConfigArticle

appConfig

filter

json

liveArticle

Hadi Azmi

A string of technical issues on Malaysia Airlines flights in recent weeks has sparked customer concerns over safety as well as the management of the national flag carrier, which has slashed its network, lost maintenance staff and is struggling with the late delivery of aircraft.
The latest incident involved a jet bound for the South Korean capital, which was diverted back to Kuala Lumpur mid-flight on Sunday, prompting Malaysia’s Transport Minister Anthony Loke to call for an explanation from the airline.
“We will wait for the full report about the technical issue. I have asked [them] to issue a statement on the matter,” Loke said on Monday. However, the airline has yet to do so.
Crucial to Malaysia’s global image, the airline has struggled to move out from the long shadow cast by the unsolved disappearance of flight MH370 and then the downing of MH17 by Russia in 2014. Last year, the airline posted its first profit since being taken private by the Malaysian government and restructured in 2015.
Sunday’s flight marks the sixth incident of its kind this year, including engine problems and cabin pressure issues, to have caused diversions, delays and, in one case during an August 20 flight from Melbourne to Kuala Lumpur, an emergency landing due to a stalled engine.

Confirming public speculation over maintenance issues at the airline, Minister Loke last week said that an audit by the Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia (CAAM) found that 63 of 411 qualified aircraft engineers have left the flag carrier since January, many for more pay.
The minister also said that the airline’s Air Operator Certificate (AOC) renewal period will be reduced from three years to just one year to allow for more frequent audits as the airline conducts mitigation measures to address the issues.
Since then, Malaysia Airlines has reduced its network by 20 per cent, leading to passenger frustration as dozens of domestic and international flights around Southeast Asia, North Asia, Australia, New Zealand, Greater China, South Asia and the Middle East were cancelled.
Aggravated passengers have left comments on the airline’s Facebook page.
“It is absolutely ridiculous that I can’t get anyone from [the airline] to answer my calls from abroad. I’ve tried multiple times, and the silence is beyond frustrating,” wrote one user.
Others expressed their willingness to continue supporting the airline but said they were turned off by the recent mishaps, with another user commenting they showed signs of “significant management and operational weaknesses”.
“The airline management needs a serious overhaul. Until then, I don’t think I will be considering our national carrier for my trips,” wrote another.
The frequent incidents have led the public to question the safety of the airline, according to former Transport Minister Wee Ka Siong, who has been critical of Malaysia Airlines’ technical issues and criticised the government for not taking the issues with the airline’s maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) division seriously.
“This is a crisis of confidence among passengers in Malaysia Airlines, which is likely to damage the country’s reputation and potentially lead to losses,” Wee wrote in a Facebook post on Wednesday, adding that it would ultimately affect the country’s economy.


The airline, through its parent company, Malaysian Aviation Group (MAG), has attributed these problems to the late delivery of 17 new aircraft from Boeing and Airbus, saying, “It has impacted our fleet planning.”
To date, MAG has only received four Boeing 737-8 aircraft out of the 13 contractually agreed upon and three A330neos out of four by the end of the year from Boeing and Airbus, respectively.
The aviation group also said it faced the attrition of a skilled workforce to other MRO providers that have entered the Malaysian market.
Opposition lawmakers have politicised the issue, accusing the government of sabotaging its flag carrier by allowing competing Singapore Airlines (SIA) to open its own MRO facility at Kuala Lumpur’s second airport, Subang.
“The root cause of the problem is the failure of the government to protect the country’s interests in the civil aviation sector to the point of giving a ‘sweetheart deal’ to [Singapore Airlines], which allows them to compete unfairly,” said lawmaker Wan Ahmad Fayshal on X.
This accusation came as a subsidiary of Malaysia’s sovereign wealth fund, Khazanah Nasional, leased two hangars to SIA for a period of 15 years.
Malaysia Airlines and Singapore Airlines started as the same airline but split in 1972, following the separation of Singapore from Malaysia in 1965.
Aviation analyst Brendan Sobie said that all airlines have faced similar manpower and supply chain issues, with shortages in aircraft parts and new aeroplane deliveries rippling across the industry. But Malaysia Airlines appears to have been affected worse than others.
“How airlines have responded and managed these challenges is where there are differences, with MAG being impacted more than virtually anyone, leading to the drastic measures,” he said.
Sobie said the airline and its parent company can “right the ship over the next few months” as new aircraft are delivered and new hires made. However, he suggested it might be a good time for the airline to “step back and have another reset”.
“Not financial, because they are in pretty good financial shape this time, but more of a reset from a manpower perspective, from an operational perspective and potentially from a commercial and strategic perspective,” he said.


Pending US$12.3 million house arrest fine keeps Malaysia’s Najib in prison

Anwar was on song in India. Will Malaysia reap the rewards?

Malaysia’s Loke resigns as transport minister following Najib’s house arrest approval

Malaysia deploys air force aircraft for cloud seeding to combat worsening haze

Malaysia

‘Crisis of confidence’: Malaysia Airlines under scrutiny amid safety concerns

Malaysia Airlines planes parked at Kuala Lumpur International Airport. Photo: Reuters

A Malaysia Airlines Boeing 737-800 aircraft on the tarmac at Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Sepang. Photo: Reuters

Malaysia as 2025 Asean chair: a test of diplomacy, regional cohesion – and its China ties

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has expressed confidence in Malaysia’s ability to host next year’s Asean Summit. Photo: Bloomberg

Chairing Asean allows Malaysia to reaffirm its role as a key regional player, observers say. Photo: Reuters

Foreign ministers pose for a group photo at the 25th Asean Plus Three Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Vientiane, Laos, in July. Photo: AP

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim will likely seek to leverage Malaysia’s chairmanship of Asean to boost his domestic standing, observers say. Photo: Bloomberg

Chinese Premier Li Qiang inspects a guard of honour during a welcoming ceremony in Putrajaya, Malaysia, in June. Photo: Malaysia’s Department of Information/AFP

New Zealand to deploy surveillance plane to Malaysia under 5-nation defence pact

Malaysia’s PM Anwar Ibrahim and New Zealand’s PM Christopher Luxon at a welcoming ceremony in Putrajaya, Malaysia. Photo: EPA-EFE

A Poseidon, P-8A maritime patrol aircraft flying over RAF College Cranwell, Britain. Photo: EPA-EFE

A protest in Tel Aviv over Israeli hostages taken by Hamas in Gaza. Photo: dpa

Taliban courts Malaysia for trade and investment amid Afghanistan’s economic crisis

Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen (center) with KL-based Bait Al Amanah founding director Abdul Razak Ahmad (left) in Doha. Photo: Suhail Shaheen

An Afghan woman walks on a road in Kabul, Afghanistan, on August 25. Photo: EPA-EFE

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim delivers a speech in Kuala Lumpur on August 4. Photo: Kyodo

Malaysia’s Anwar vows to eradicate corruption, urges new leadership culture

Anwar Ibrahim vowed to end corruption in Malaysia, urging unity and responsible leadership while cracking down on corruption. Photo: Bloomberg

Anwar Ibrahim has vowed to eradicate corruption, calling for a new leadership culture that prioritises Malaysia’s national interests. Photo: Bloomberg

Malaysia’s ex-leader Muhyiddin be charged with sedition over remarks on monarchy’s PM pick

Malaysia’s Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin in August 2021. Photo: dpa

Malaysia’s former prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin (centre) during the general election in Shah Alam, Malaysia, in November 2022. Photo: Reuters

This Week in Asia

Politics

News

Asia

Southeast Asia

A string of technical issues and cancelled flights in recent weeks have led to heightened concerns and frustrations among customers


A string of technical issues and cancelled flights in recent weeks have led to heightened concerns and frustrations among customers.


‘Crisis of confidence’: Malaysia Airlines under scrutiny amid safety concerns

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}A string of technical issues and cancelled flights in recent weeks have led to heightened concerns and frustrations among customers

A string of technical issues and cancelled flights in recent weeks have led to heightened concerns and frustrations among customers