KUCHING, Oct 16: Following the decision to temporarily suspend operations, MYAirline Sdn Bhd will prioritise reimbursing affected passengers and paying employee salaries, both of which will be resolved within this year.
MYArline interim accountable executive Datuk Seri Azharuddin Abdul Rahman stated that once the airline secures funding from potential investors, the two issues will be addressed first, The Sun Daily reported.
“As of today, we have processed 18,000 emails requesting refunds. We encourage affected customers to email us to expedite the refund process. In total, there are 125,000 affected customers with refunds totalling RM22 million,” he told a press conference on MYAirline’s current status at its headquarters in Subang Jaya, Selangor today.
Azharuddin further highlighted that the well-being of the staff remains the company’s utmost concern.
“As soon as funding is secured, we will prioritise statutory payments and staff salaries. It is important to note that all staff members remain under MYAirline employment, with no one placed on unpaid leave or terminated to date. We have met with the Ministry of Human Resources to update them on this matter,” he said, as quoted.
Azharuddin mentioned that MYAirline is actively exploring strategic partnerships and has received multiple proposals from potential investors.
“All these proposals are undergoing detailed evaluation and due diligence. It is important to note that discussions with lessors are ongoing to retain our aircraft,” he added.
Furthermore, the interim accountable executive encouraged all affected passengers to contact customercare@myairline.my and the hotline at 03-8966 2522, operational from 7am to 6pm daily, as they will facilitate the refund process and provide assistance as needed.
Meanwhile, according to a press release shared on MYAirline’s official Facebook Page today, Azharuddin said that the reason the low-cost carrier suspended its operations was due to a lack of a contingency plan and investor withdrawal.
He also apologised for not being more transparent with their customers, which resulted in thousands of people being stranded at the airports recently.
“We acknowledge and understand the frustration experienced by our passengers. This situation arose due to our lack of a contingency plan, compounded by a last-minute investor withdrawal.”
Additionally, MYAirline has acknowledged its communication shortcomings with the Malaysian Aviation Commission (Mavcom) and the Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia (CAAM). Specifically, the airline recognises that it failed to engage with authorities and passengers promptly before deciding to suspend its operations temporarily.
Azharuddin explained that the airline took swift action due to concerns about the safety of its passengers and employees during a flight from Wednesday night to early Thursday morning.
“We issued the suspension notice at 0530 (5.30am) on Thursday morning. While we promptly cancelled the morning flights on Thursday, we acknowledge that some passengers on later flights were already at the airport, and this was an oversight on our part,” he added.
In addition, he shared an update regarding the status of key personnel in higher management. He confirmed that Stuart Cross has resigned and is no longer employed by MYAirline.
Cross was MYAirline’s interim chief executive officer (CEO). — DayakDaily
