Loke said the Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia (CAAM) has carried out a special audit and will be taking further action.
“I am also in touch with the group managing director,” he told a press conference here today, referring to the Malaysia Aviation Group (MAG), the national carrier’s parent company.
“I’ve asked him to do all the necessary follow-ups to ensure the smooth operation of the national carrier.”
Loke said that apart from the special audit, CAAM has carried out surprise visits to MAG’s engineering department.
“Everything that has been collected will be presented to the Cabinet this week,” he said.
Last Friday, Loke’s predecessor, Wee Ka Siong, called for Putrajaya to investigate the technical issues plaguing Malaysia Airlines, some of which had forced the national carrier to make emergency landings.
Wee noted that there had been at least eight incidents reported since 2023, which seemed to have sparked a serious loss of confidence among passengers in the airline, with some wondering if it was still safe to fly with Malaysia Airlines.
He issued the statement a day after an issue with pressurisation forced a Malaysia Airlines flight bound for Medina to return to KLIA.
At the press conference, Loke also said other airlines such as Cathay Pacific, Singapore Airlines and Thai Airways are experiencing similar challenges.
“I hope the public can see that this is a problem faced by the aviation industry, not just MAG,” he said.
Loke said he did not question MAG’s professionalism and ability to handle the issue.
“I have always believed in them, and they will do whatever it takes to ensure everything is run safely,” he said.
Last Saturday, MAG said it planned to reduce its flights and routes between now and December.
It said this comes in response to recent disruptions in its services, which affected Malaysia Airlines, Firefly, and Amal’s services during the week beginning on Aug 19.
MAG group managing director Izham Ismail said this was to ensure the long-term reliability and operational robustness of MAG’s fleet.
In a separate statement, MAG also reported flight disruptions that occurred on Aug 16 because of multiple factors that increased flight delays and cancellations affecting Malaysia Airlines and Firefly’s services.
Izham said the disruptions were due to weather, technical and manpower challenges, supply chain constraints, and the ongoing normalisation of global aviation operations post-pandemic.