PUTRAJAYA: Malaysia Airlines will have to provide monthly reports to the Civil Aviation Authority Malaysia, says Transport Minister Anthony Loke.
This comes following the recent spate of technical issues plaguing the national carrier.
Loke said the reports are based on the mitigation plans of Malaysia Airlines, adding that the renewal period of the flag carrier's Air Operator Certificate (AOC) has been reduced from three years to annually.
“Before their certificate expires, they have to undergo another audit. Reducing the renewal period also ensures Malaysia Airlines will have to implement the necessary measures as outlined in the mitigation plan by CAAM.
“The whole idea is to make sure we have comprehensive oversight and more frequent audits. They must make monthly reports to CAAM on the progress of their mitigation plan," Loke said at a press conference here on Wednesday (Aug 28).
He added that CAAM carried out surprise checks on Malaysia Airlines and their engineering department between June 24 to June 28 this year.
Based on the findings, Loke said among the significant issues that caused the recent technical disruptions are mechanical components and a lack of skilled workers to carry out aircraft maintenance.
63 of the 411 skilled workers at the Malaysia Airlines engineering department had also left the company since January of this year.
“Malaysia Airlines has also outlined a mitigation plan with an emphasis on ensuring aircraft safety to improve its reliability. Recruitment programmes will also be carried out aggressively by the airline,” he said.
He added that the national carrier will also have to source sufficient aircraft spare parts from its original equipment manufacturer.
Loke said CAAM will continue to monitor and carry out special audits on airlines operating in Malaysia to ensure all safety and security aspects are strictly followed.
“All airlines must abide. There is no compromise when it comes to passenger safety,” he said, adding that the report was also presented to the Cabinet.
Loke said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim viewsthe matter seriously and had also chaired a meeting with Khazanah’s board of directors on Tuesday (Aug 27).
“The Prime Minister had instructed Khazanah to carry out immediate mitigation measures which will be relayed to the Malaysia Airlines management for further action,” he said.
This comes after the recent spate of technical incidents plaguing the national carrier, which led to incidents of MAS flights turning back and making emergency stops.
On Aug 22, a MAS flight heading to Medina had to return to Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) and this is the third such incident this month.
According to data available on the aircraft tracking site FlightRadar24, MH152 turned back while flying over the Nicobar Islands in the Andaman Sea.
A day earlier, Shanghai-bound MAS flight MH386 was forced to turn back to KLIA due to a cabin pressure issue.
On Aug 20, flight MH128 en route to Kuala Lumpur from Melbourne had to make an emergency stop at Alice Springs in Australia’s Northern Territories.
Last week, former Transport Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong had urged the Transport Ministry to immediately investigate and assist Malaysia Airlines to prevent similar incidents from happening.
