PETALING JAYA: The present trouble faced by Malaysia Airlines Bhd (MAB) is partly due to several decisions made by sole ordinary shareholder Khazanah Nasional Bhd, says former Selangor state executive councillor Datuk Teng Chang Kim
Teng said that when he was in charge of aerospace industry development in Selangor, the state government did not agree to the proposal to sign a 15-year lease for two hangars at Subang Airport with a Singaporean company.
He added that there was a strategic proposal to expand the maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) business of the national aerospace and defence industries (Nadi).
Teng then said that the revival of the Subang aerospace zone and the development of an Asia Pacific private jet hub were also part of the proposal.
He then added that the state believed that Singapore Airlines Engineering should go to the proposed Selangor Aeropark in Sepang, which would take a few more years to develop.
“During this, a concerted effort by all parties would produce more engineers and technicians to meet the aerospace industry's demand in anticipation of a rapid growth of the industry.
“However, Khazanah brushed off the proposal by declining to attend meetings,” said Teng.
Teng also said the matter had been brought to the attention of several unnamed ministers, but there was no response.
“The ‘unintended’ consequence has, unfortunately, vindicated the foresight of the Selangor government but to the great loss of national interest,” added Teng.
Teng was responding to a news report in which former minister Khairy Jamaluddin said MAB had suffered the unintended consequences of Khazanah’s decision to sign a 15-year lease for two hangars at Subang Airport with a Singaporean company.
Khairy said the lease had allegedly enabled the Singaporean company to poach essential staff, leading to a domino effect on the national carrier’s operations.
Recently, MAS has had a series of technical issues affecting hundreds of passengers, with the latest taking place on Monday (Sept 2)
This involved a flight from Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) to Incheon International Airport, South Korea, which turned back due to a technical issue with the hydraulic system.
On Aug 21, flight MH386 from Kuala Lumpur to Shanghai had to return due to cabin pressure.
On Aug 20 flight MH128 en route to Kuala Lumpur from Melbourne made an emergency landing at Alice Springs Airport (ASP). In early August, flight MH001 from London to Kuala Lumpur diverted to Doha for repair.
Malaysia Aviation Group (MAG) group managing director Datuk Captain Izham Ismail said that a combination of factors, including weather, technical and manpower challenges, supply chain constraints, and the ongoing normalisation of global aviation operations post-pandemic, has contributed to the recent Malaysia Airlines (MAS) operational difficulties.
