SOME 495 flights during Hari Raya were delayed for more than one hour, a finding from the Malaysian Aviation Commission (MAVCOM) showed.

Of the more than 6,000 domestic flights throughout the festival period, Mavcom executive chairman, Saripuddin Kasim said 119 flights were delayed due to operational factors, including lack of standby aircraft, unscheduled night stops and consequential late arrivals.

These instances were followed by technical factors, such as damage to aircraft, non-scheduled maintenance, and lack of spares or maintenance equipment, which collectively contributed to 25% or 41 flights delayed by at least two hours. 

“Operational and technical factors combined contributed to 160 (96%) of flight delays beyond two hours. The other factors were related to bad weather conditions,” he revealed in a statement this evening.

Two weeks ago, passengers vented their anger on social media, particularly targeting AirAsia over flights that were “unreasonably” rescheduled, causing some to be stranded for up to 10 hours. 

Some flights were also changed after passengers had checked in and some travellers complained they had to buy new sets of tickets multiple times.

Transport Minister Wee Ka Siong had told airlines to do better at monitoring technical issues related to flight service and communication with passengers. 

Bandar Kuching MP Kelvin Yii urged the Transport, and Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Ministries to be more proactive and act on the debacle.

During Hari Raya in 2019, it was reported that more than 8,000 domestic flights had operated.

Speaking further, Saripuddin said there were 2,954 AirAsia flights, 13% (368 flights) of which were delayed by more than one hour. Meanwhile, there were 1,447 Malaysian Airlines flights, with 3% (44 flights).

In addition, there were 656 MASwings flights, with 10% (64 flights) delayed; 680 Firefly flights, with 2% or 15 flights delayed; 555 Batik Air flights with 1% or four flights delayed.

“The commission is undertaking a further investigation on the provision of care for the delays beyond two hours to ascertain if the necessary care as stipulated under the Malaysian Aviation Consumer Protection Code (MACPC) were provided to consumers.”

“Consumers affected by delays due to operational and technical factors require the provision of meals, telephone calls, and internet access for delays of two hours or more, as well as accommodation, and transport, if a stay becomes necessary, for delays of five hours or more,” he said.

He said MACPC was put in place to ensure that the rights of air travel consumers are protected, and airlines must abide by the law, adding that consumers should be automatically offered care as per the MACPC.

“The commission is currently validating the reasons provided by airlines and we will not hesitate to exercise our powers if the justifications provided do not fulfil the requirements of the MACPC.”

Depending on the nature and extent of any non-compliance, airlines may be fined up to RM200,000 for the first offence, and 10 times the fine of its previous offence for a second or subsequent non-compliance of the MACPC,” Saripuddin said. – May 30, 2022.