Malaysian regulators have reportedly slashed the validity period of Malaysia Airlines’ air operator’s certificate (AOC), as the carrier battles an operational meltdown in recent weeks.
The Oneworld carrier will now have its AOC valid for a year, instead of the usual three years, according to local media reports citing transport minister Anthony Loke.
A “surprise audit” carried out in June also revealed that the airline had a shortage of components and skilled MRO workers, on top of “significant” safety and maintenance issues, says Loke, was speaking at a press conference on 28 August.
To this end, he directed the airline to prepare a mitigation plan to address its issues, including plans to hire more maintenance workers. The plan has to be presented monthly to the ministry, Loke adds.
Malaysia Airlines has yet to reply to FlightGlobal’s request for comment. On a notice on its website, it states that flight cancellations through September have been finalised, with no further changes expected.
Malaysia Aviation Group – the airline’s parent company – slashed its operating schedules through the end of the year amid a spate of well-publicised operational issues.
On 19 August, an Airbus A330-300 operating from Melbourne to Kuala Lumpur was forced to divert to Alice Springs following engine issues.
Just a day later, another A330 bound for Shanghai returned to Kuala Lumpur due to a possible cabin pressurisation issue.
Then on 22 August, a flight to Medina also returned to the Malaysian capital following cabin pressurisation problems.
The airline is also facing delivery delays on new Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft: to date it has only received four of 25 Max 8s on order – a slower-than-forecast delivery rate.
