Share to help stimulate good governance, ensure future of people & M’sia
No News Is Bad News
An InfoGraphic of MAS’ turnaround incidents from June to last month. - Facebook image by Sinar Harian.
MAS aircraft turned around 18 times thus far this year
Update
24% of flights delayed between January and August, says transport ministry
-28 Oct 2024, 12:33 PM
It also says 18%, or 57,276 out of 315,388 scheduled flights, were cancelled during the period.
Deputy transport minister Hasbi Habibollah said flight delays and cancellations were attributed to airline operations and technical issues, including low passenger loads and crew shortages.
KUALA LUMPUR: The transport ministry today said 24% of 258,116 Malaysian flights between January and August were delayed.
Deputy transport minister Hasbi Habibollah said 55,024 flights were delayed for less than two hours, while 5,990 experienced delays exceeding two hours.
He also said 18%, or 57,276 flights, out of 315,388 scheduled flights were cancelled during the period, as opposed to 20%, or 90,696 flights, out of a total of 444,234 scheduled flights in 2023.
Hasbi was responding to questions from Shafizan Haji Peli (GPS-Batang Lupar), Chiew Choon Man (PH-Miri) and Bung Moktar Radin (BN-Kinabatangan) about flight disruptions and domestic travel between Peninsular Malaysia and Sabah and Sarawak.
He attributed the delays to various factors, including airline operations (aircraft and crew rotations), exceptional circumstances, and technical issues.
“Causes of flight cancellations include commercial reasons such as low loads, operational issues like crew shortages, late aircraft arrivals, aircraft rotation, exceptional circumstances like weather and air traffic control, and technical issues such as Aircraft on Ground,” he said.
Hasbi also revealed a decrease in the number of Return to Chock incidents, where planes are required to return to their parking spots on the runway, with 181 this year, compared with 248 in 2023.
For Air Turnbacks (ATB), he said the figures rose from 13 in 2023 to 18 in 2024.
On a separate matter, Hasbi acknowledged the insufficiency of the current fleet of 258 aircraft, which includes 104 operated by Malaysia Aviation Group, 107 by AirAsia, and 47 by Batik Air.
“When issues like maintenance arise, it undoubtedly affects operations,” he said.
“Our airlines are still strategising to expand the fleets, including considering options beyond Boeing and Airbus to increase capacity.”
KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 23, 2024: The Transport Ministry, in a written response in Parliament, revealed that Malaysia Airlines (MAS) had 18 emergency turn back incidents thus far this year.
There were 13 such incidents last year.
No News Is Bad News reproduces below a news report on the ministry’s written reply in Parliament:
Malaysia Airlines had 18 emergency turn back incidents in 2024, Dewan told
-23 Oct 2024, 08:05 PM
The transport ministry says this compares with just 13 similar incidents last year when the flights were forced to return to the airport after takeoff.
The transport ministry said Malaysia Airlines is in the process of procuring new aircraft and ensuring sufficient availability of planes to meet scheduled flight demands. (EPA Images pic)
PETALING JAYA: There have been 18 Air Turn Back (ATB) incidents involving Malaysia Airlines flights so far this year, says the transport ministry.
An ATB incident involves a flight being forced to return to the airport from which it departed after takeoff.
In a written response to the Dewan Rakyat today, the ministry said this number compared with 13 ATB incidents involving the airline for the whole of last year, Bernama reported.
Similarly, it said the airline recorded a total of 181 Return to Chock (RTC) incidents so far this year. RTC refers to situations where the aircraft is directed to return to the parking position due to issues before takeoff.
The transport ministry added that there were 248 RTC cases last year.
“These incidents are usually caused by emergencies or abnormal situations, such as engine failure, technical issues, or medical emergencies,” the ministry said in its written reply.
The clarification was made in response to a question from Shaharizukirnain Abd Kadir (PN-Setiu) regarding the transport ministry’s strategy to ensure proper maintenance of Malaysia Airlines aircraft and an explanation of the factors contributing to technical issues.
The ministry revealed that the Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia (CAAM) conducted a surprise investigation into Malaysia Airlines Berhad (MAB), including MAB Engineering Services, which is responsible for aircraft maintenance, from June 24 to 28.
The investigation found that possible mechanical component issues and a shortage of skilled labour were significant contributors to MAB’s technical incidents.
“MAB’s corrective actions include implementing a mitigation plan to enhance aircraft safety to a heightened level of vigilance, and ensuring a focus on aircraft reliability.
“In addition, MAB is in the process of procuring new aircraft and ensuring sufficient availability of planes to meet scheduled flight demands,” it said.
To strengthen aircraft maintenance, the transport ministry said MAB had taken proactive measures, such as temporarily cancelling certain domestic and international flight routes to ensure the long-term durability of aircraft and operational robustness.
MAB had also conducted a thorough investigation into ongoing technical issues, identifying and rectifying root causes, and enhancing maintenance protocols to ensure compliance with safety standards.
Furthermore, MAB is focusing on improving training and hiring to address the increasing demand and complexity of modern aircraft.
Meanwhile, the ministry said that based on the latest audit by CAAM, the renewal period for the Air Operator’s Certificate (AOC) for MAB had been shortened from three years to one.
“This will ensure that MAB remains alert and takes the necessary improvement actions as outlined in CAAM’s mitigation plan,” it said.
No comments:
Post a Comment