This follows the national carrier’s recent operational difficulties which had led to frequent flight delays, and even the airline scaling back routes.

Transport minister Loke Siew Fook said Malaysia Airlines has also been ordered to furnish a monthly report on the implementation of a mitigation plan concerning its operations

“All airlines must be audited before their AOC can be renewed. A shorter AOC validity period means more frequent audits.

“This is to ensure that Malaysia Airlines take the necessary steps to improve its operations,” Loke said in a press conference here today.

Last week, Malaysia Airlines’s parent body, the Malaysia Aviation Group (MAG), acknowledged that disruptions had taken place in the week of Aug 19 involving Malaysia Airlines, Firefly, and Amal services.

MAG managing director Izham Ismail,said the group would temporarily reduce its network until the end of the year to execute corrective measures, which would ensure long-term reliability and robustness of operations.

Malaysia Airlines is reportedly cutting back on flights to 13 destinations: Bangkok Suvarnabhumi, Denpasar, Ho Chi Minh City, Jakarta, Jeddah, Medan Kualanamu, Mumbai, Osaka Kansai, Seoul Incheon, Shanghai Pudong, Singapore, Tokyo Narita and Yangon.

Loke also said that the CAAM conducted a surprise investigation on Malaysia Airlines and its subsidiary, MAB Engineering Services (Mabes), which is responsible for the maintenance of aircraft, from June 24 to 28.

“Based on their findings, among the significant issues that contribute to technical incidents with Malaysia Airlines aircraft could be mechanical component issues and a lack in skilled manpower needed to carry out maintenance of the planes,” he said.

He also said the lack of skilled workers affected Malaysia Airlines and Mabes’s ability to improve the level of their safety management system.

Loke said 63 former Mabes employees recently left the company, contributing to the lack in manpower.

He said the airline’s mitigation plan would include the carrier holding a recruitment drive for skilled workers and reducing Mabes’s scope of maintenance, repair and overhaul for third parties, so that it can focus on Malaysia Airlines aircraft.