KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia Airlines has resolved the technical issues with its Airbus A330neo and will take delivery of the remaining 19 aircraft gradually from this month until 2026, says Datuk Hasbi Habibollah.
The Deputy Transport Minister said Malaysia Aviation Group (MAG), the parent company of Malaysia Airlines, has secured spare engines for its A330neo fleet, allowing immediate replacements to ensure smooth operations.
"Three additional spare engines are expected to arrive in the third quarter of this year," he said in response to MP Mohd Nazri Abu Hassan (PN-Merbok) in Dewan Rakyat on Monday (Feb 17).
Nazri had inquired about the action taken by the Transport Ministry after Malaysia Airlines temporarily suspended operations of its new Airbus A330neo aircraft for at least 48 hours following its maiden flight to Melbourne on Dec 19, due to technical problems and concerns about the quality of its production and delivery process.
The deputy minister said the Airbus A330neo faced technical issues after completing its maiden flight on Dec 19 last year and was subsequently grounded.
"However, these issues have been resolved, and since resuming operations on Dec 24, the aircraft has completed 101 flights as of Feb 12," he said.
The routes served include Kuala Lumpur to Kuching, Kota Kinabalu, Melbourne, Doha, and Kansai.
In this regard, he said the Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia (CAAM) has received a report on the technical issue and is satisfied with the repairs that have been carried out.
"CAAM will ensure that Malaysia Airlines implements the necessary quality control measures to guarantee the safety and reliability of its operations.
"Malaysia Airlines has also requested Airbus and Rolls-Royce to enforce stricter quality control for the new aircraft that will be delivered in the future," he added.
Malaysia Airlines' Airbus A330neo is back in service after a brief grounding due to a faulty component. The aircraft, which debuted on Dec 19, 2024, was grounded on Dec 21, affecting flight MH149 to Melbourne.
Malaysia Aviation Group managing director Captain Izham Ismail attributed the issue to poor production quality, prompting swift action from Airbus and Rolls-Royce to replace the faulty part.
