KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia Aviation Group (MAG), the parent company of Malaysia Airlines Bhd, will take delivery of the remaining 19 Airbus A330neo aircraft gradually from this month until 2026.
Deputy Transport Minister Datuk Hasbi Habibollah said that Airbus and Rolls Royce were asked to implement stricter quality control measures for the new aircraft deliveries.
“In this regard, Malaysia Airlines is committed to ensuring that the production quality of the ordered aircraft is of the highest standards, particularly for the remaining aircraft yet to be delivered because the safety of passengers and crew is our top priority,“ he said.
He was replying to Mohd Nazri Abu Hassan (PN-Merbok) in the Dewan Rakyat today about the action taken after Malaysia Airlines temporarily suspended operations of its newly-received Airbus A330neo on Dec 19 due to technical issues.
Hasbi said the first Malaysia Airlines Airbus A330neo, grounded for 48 hours in December due to technical issues, resumed operations after the faulty component was replaced.
The aircraft has completed 101 flights without issues, serving routes to Melbourne, Kota Kinabalu, Doha, Kuching and Kansai (Japan).
“Currently, MAG has one spare engine for the Airbus A330neo, with three additional spare engines expected to arrive in stages starting from the third quarter of 2025,“ he said.
He said the first A330neo aircraft was temporarily grounded on Dec 22 and 23 due to technical issues attributed to Airbus, the aircraft manufacturer, and Rolls Royce, the engine supplier.
“Globally, aircraft manufacturers are facing production quality issues, mainly due to shortages of raw materials needed for spare parts and a lack of skilled labour in the manufacturing sector,“ he said.
Previously, Malaysia Airlines suspended operations of the aircraft for at least 48 hours following its maiden flight to Melbourne on Dec 19.
The aircraft, featuring the latest engine technology from Rolls Royce, faced technical issues that raised concerns about the quality of its production and delivery processes.
