KUCHING, May 11: AirAsia’s excuse of insufficient aircraft that resulted in delays and rescheduling of flights was unacceptable for the low-cost carrier should have anticipated the sharp increase in air travel during the festive season, more so with the country’s border fully reopened and restrictions broadly lifted.
Raising this, Bandar Kuching MP Dr Kelvin Yii said that the Malaysian Aviation Commission (Mavcom) should hold AirAsia accountable for causing inconvenience and economic loss to passengers, as well as protect the rights of consumers.
“I received complaints on how one customer booked a ticket online for travel in two weeks’ time and hours later received an SMS informing him that the flight has been rescheduled.
“If they (AirAsia) can foresee the problem, why sell those tickets in the first place? It can cause great inconvenience because passengers may have connecting flights to catch with other airlines which have to be changed to the changes in AirAsia flight schedule,” he said in a statement today.
AirAsia Malaysia, through a statement yesterday (May 10), apologised to customers for the rescheduling of its flights caused by several factors and unavoidable incidents that were beyond the airlines’s expectations and control.
Apart from the sharp increase in air travel during the festive season, AirAsia Malaysia explained that its number of aircrafts in operation was cut down to 40 compared to almost 100 pre-pandemic due to the long waiting queue for aircraft maintenance facilities in Malaysia and the region.
Maintenance, including fixing any damages and technical problems, is mandated by the Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia to ensure an aircraft that had not been in operation for a while can be declared safe to fly again.
While the safety and security of aircrafts and passengers are of utmost importance, Dr Yii however stressed that AirAsia or any other airlines should have anticipated these problems before selling tickets to the public.
“That’s why Mavcom must hold the airlines accountable for inability to comply with their schedules. The authorities must take quick and necessary actions including devising a long-term policy so that this problem will not persist or happen again in the future.
“While the government said they will conduct an investigation, it cannot be an excuse for inaction. There is no need for lengthy investigation or study into the issue,” he reiterated. — DayakDaily
