KUALA LUMPUR— On Sunday night (September 1, 2024), another Malaysia Airlines (MH) flight bound for Seoul (ICN), South Korea, encountered hydraulic failure, which caused it to make a U-turn (emergency landing) to Terminal 1 of Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KUL).
Malaysian flag carrier operates two daily flights between Kuala Lumpur (also KLIA) and Seoul except on Wednesday, where it operates a single flight.
Malaysia Airlines Flight U-Turn
Flight MH66, which was initially scheduled to depart at 11:30 PM, eventually took off at 12:01 AM on Monday. However, the aircraft had to turn back and landed safely at KLIA at 12:34 AM.
According to FlightRadar24 data, the aircraft remained airborne for around one hour and 10 minutes. As it is required to burn extra fuel to reduce Maximum Landing Weight (MLW) to avoid heavy landing.
After landing at KLIA, the aircraft stopped at the active runway for around 13 minutes, before towing to the terminal situated in KLIA Satellite Building.
The aircraft involved in the incident is Airbus A330-300, registered as 9M-MTB. According to Planespotters.net data, the aircraft is 13.4 years old and is powered by Pratt and Whitney (P&W) PW4000 engines.
According to reports, the aircraft experienced technical issues with one of its hydraulic systems, and Malaysia Airlines Berhad (MAB) is expected to issue a statement on the matter. This latest incident follows a pattern of similar occurrences involving the airline.
Similar Incidents
In recent months, several other Malaysia Airlines flights have faced similar technical problems. On August 4, MH156, en route to Jeddah (JED), had to return to KLIA 1 due to technical issues.
Two weeks prior, on August 19, MH128 from Melbourne (MEL) to Kuala Lumpur was diverted to Alice Springs Airport because of engine problems.
On June 24, MH780, which was flying to Bangkok (BKK), also had to return to KLIA after experiencing air pressure problems. Additionally, on June 20, MH199, heading to Kuala Lumpur from Hyderabad, returned to Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (HYD), due to engine troubles.
Transport Minister Anthony Loke had previously stated that mechanical component issues are a significant contributor to the recent technical incidents involving MAB’s aircraft.
Furthermore, MAB Engineering Services (MABES), the company responsible for maintaining the airline’s fleet, has been identified as having a shortage of skilled workers.
These recurring technical difficulties have raised concerns about the reliability and maintenance of Malaysia Airlines aircraft.
Well, these Airbus A330 are not as old as those operated by US carriers. This raises questions about maintenance practice. Also, Malaysia Airlines should investigate recent occurrences to avoid them in the future.
To address the aging fleet issues, the airline has placed an order for 20 Airbus A330neo. First aircraft will be delivered in this quarter.
What are your thoughts on such recent happenings with Malaysia Airlines? What they should do to avoid such incidents? Let us know in the comment section.
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