KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia Airlines Bhd (MAB) has successfully regained its three-year air operator certificate (AOC) from the Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia (CAAM), a year after the validity was cut to one year due to operational concerns. The airline’s chief operating officer, Nasaruddin Bakar, said the approval followed an audit carried out two months ago.
“We completed the audit recently, and over the past 12 months, Malaysia Aviation Group (MAG) and Malaysia Airlines have made significant improvements, particularly in strengthening safety standards,” he said at an event held at the Malaysia International Trade and Exhibition Centre.
Nasaruddin added that MAG has stepped up recruitment efforts to tackle staff shortages, especially in the engineering division, to further support operational stability.
In August last year, CAAM reduced the validity of Malaysia Airlines’ AOC from three years to one, citing frequent flight delays and scaled-back routes amid operational difficulties. Transport Minister Loke Siew Fook had said then that the airline was required to submit monthly reports detailing progress on its operational recovery plan.
He also revealed that CAAM’s investigation into Malaysia Airlines and its subsidiary, MAB Engineering Services, highlighted manpower shortages and technical component issues as key factors behind recurring technical problems. The departure of 63 skilled staff from MAB Engineering Services, which oversees the airline’s aircraft maintenance, was also flagged as a contributing factor to the challenges in strengthening its safety management system.
