MAG offers compensation, flight reallocations amid customer service delays

Malaysia Aviation Group Bhd (MAG) is working diligently to provide affected customers with compensation options, including flight reallocations and full refunds without penalty charges.

Its group managing director Izham Ismail said due to the increased traffic experienced at its Global Contact Centre, MAG encourages passengers to use the “My Booking” feature on its website for quicker service and to check the status of their flights.

In a statement today, he said MAG had taken proactive steps to reduce capacity to ensure safe and reliable operations, ahead of the Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia’s (CAAM) latest directive.

“Our focus is to prioritise customers first, ensuring that we can deliver credible flight schedules and the best possible customer experience moving forward.

“The reduced network involves 20 percent of our capacity, comprising Malaysia Airlines, Firefly and Amal’s routes in Malaysia, Asean, North Asia, Australia, New Zealand, Greater China, South Asia and the Middle East,” he said.

Izham noted that the global shortage of parts has affected the on-time delivery of MAG’s new aircraft orders, which in turn has impacted its fleet planning.

By 2024, MAG was scheduled to receive 17 new aircraft orders as part of its fleet modernisation programme and support growth requirements.

However, to date, MAG has only received four Boeing 737-8 aircraft out of the 13 contractually agreed by 2024.

“For the A330neo, MAG was scheduled to receive four aircraft but is now expected to receive three by the end of the year as committed by Airbus,” he said.

Manpower issues

He also highlighted that MAG has experienced attrition of skilled workforce as new maintenance, repair and overhaul players, both local and international, have entered the Malaysian market.

To address this, the group is collaborating with partners to augment its manpower, increase its skilled engineering workforce and have improved remuneration packages to sustain a strong talent pipeline for MAG.

At the same time, the group is working closely with stakeholders, including regulators and original equipment manufacturers, to effectively address operational challenges and ensure timely and reliable delivery of spare parts – encompassing adequate and high-quality spares and a robust aircraft maintenance programme.

“I wish to reiterate that all these steps, while difficult, are necessary to ensure safe and reliable operations moving forward. We thank our customers and seek their understanding and patience while we resolve the above issues,” he added.

- Bernama

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