(Dec 23): Malaysia Airlines Bhd has grounded its brand-new Airbus A330neo for at least 48 hours following “a series of technical issues” in less than a week since its inaugural flight, Business Times reported.
Malaysia Airlines has identified three technical issues that were due to the quality level of factory production and delivery level, according to the report citing Datuk Captain Izham Ismail, the chief executive officer of Malaysia Aviation Group, which owns the national flag carrier.
"Malaysia Airlines has suffered a series of technical issues arising from poor quality work from the factory and this has impacted Malaysia Airlines' inaugural flight,” Izham was quoted as saying. "The aircraft is currently grounded for repairs."
The company has asked the plane’s manufacturer Airbus and the engine maker Rolls-Royce to investigate the root cause of the issues on the brand-new aircraft, he reportedly said.
An Airbus spokesperson told Business Times that the aircraft manufacturer is ready to support Malaysia Airlines with the technical issues around its new aircraft while a Rolls-Royce spokesperson said a faulty component has been identified and its replacement is in progress.
Malaysia Airlines along with other global airlines have been grappling with severe supply chain disruption that delayed deliveries of new aircraft from Airbus as well as its US-based counterpart Boeing.
Further, maintenance activities have also been affected. Izham has also questioned the quality of repair work conducted on rotables or serviceable parts, where more than half of them failed within two weeks.