Malaysia Airlines grounds new Airbus jet over safety concerns

MALAYSIA Airlines has grounded its new Airbus A330neo jet just days after its maiden flight because of technical issues, local media reported, another operational setback for the national carrier.

“The root cause is coming from the factory and it is affecting the reputation and brand of Malaysia Airlines,” chief executive officer Izham Ismail was quoted as saying in the New Straits Times on Sunday (Dec 22).

“Safety is paramount. I will not risk anything on safety.”

Ismail said technical faults with a new aircraft were “not acceptable”, adding: “To me, it’s embarrassing.”

The newspaper said plane’s inaugural flight from Kuala Lumpur to Melbourne on Dec 19 was marred by technical issues.

AFP was unable to get a comment from Malaysia Airlines.

The airline has suffered several setbacks this year, with reduced routes and manpower issues.

In 2022, it agreed to acquire 20 Airbus A330neo planes to update its fleet of widebody jets.

The A330neo, powered by Rolls-Royce Trent 7000 engines, is considered more fuel-efficient.

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“We need Airbus and Rolls-Royce to investigate the root cause of these issues on the brand-new aircraft,” Izham told the New Straits Times.

Rolls-Royce told the paper that it had found a faulty component, while Airbus said it was ready to assist Malaysia Airlines. AFP