PETALING JAYA: Engine reliability issues, supply chain disruptions and adverse weather conditions have impacted Malaysia Airlines flight on-time performance (OTP), says Datuk Captain Izham Ismail (pic).
The Malaysia Aviation Group managing director said that despite the challenges, the airline has made significant progress in addressing these issues, resulting in improved OTP performance in September.
“This positive trajectory indicates that the airline’s strategy to regain target OTP is moving in the correct direction.
“Our Month to Date OTP stands at 82% with a daily OTP exceeding 80%, placing us within a close range of the 85% OTP target goal,” he said.
OTP measures flight punctuality, requiring departures to occur within 15 minutes of the scheduled time, as defined by the Malaysian Aviation Commission (Mavcom).
He said that the airline had recently reduced its capacity for enhancement work, so that its reliability can be improved.
“Our recent efforts have yielded positive results, as demonstrated by our average OTP of 88% over the past 10 days,” he said.
He noted that the airline will continue to strengthen its operational procedures and processes to create a more resilient network.
“Malaysia Airlines is highly committed to ensuring a safe and resilient network for our customers, while continuously enhancing our operations to meet the government's OTP targets,” he said.
On Wednesday (Oct 16), Transport Minister Anthony Loke informed the Dewan Rakyat that only 76% of flights were on time from January to August this year.
He mentioned that Mavcom is constantly monitoring the punctuality of local airlines operating at KLIA Terminals 1 and 2.
“To address the issue of delays and cancellations, the Transport Ministry and Mavcom have set an 85% OTP target and 80% for flights adhering to their schedules for all Malaysian airlines operating from all airports in the country, starting in April 2024,” he said in response to Dr Richard Rapu @ Aman Anak Begri (GPS-Betong).
Both AirAsia and Batik Air have also responded, citing poor weather conditions in the latter part of the year as impacting flight OTP, according to airlines.
