MYAirline to Potentially Resume Service in 2024

The troubled airline may be making a comeback later this year.

A MyAirline Airbus aircraft (Photo: MyAirline)

[ News ]January 17, 2024 9:06 am ET

By Will Lee

After three months of suspending its services, Malaysia’s MYAirline is paving the way for resuming its operations by the middle of 2024. According to local media, MYAirline has inked a sale and purchase agreement (SPA) at the end of 2023 with an investor from the Middle East.

“There are a few conditions that will be imposed if they want to restart operations. They must make sure all their passengers are refunded and they must make sure whatever (is owed) to their staff must be paid,” Anthony Loke, Malaysia’s Transport Minister, said.

The identity of the white knight and other details haven’t been revealed at the moment. Under the regulation in Malaysia, a Malaysian carrier needs to be held at a 51% stake in the business by its citizen.

The troubled airline is believed to have applied for a conditional Air Service Licence (ASL) from the Malaysian Aviation Commission (MAVCOM). The application for ASL needs 90 days to process. Afterwards, the airline could apply for an Air Operator Certificate from the Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia (CAAM).

In Malaysia, a carrier that owns two aircraft or helicopters for scheduled operations is eligible to apply for an Air Operator Certificate (AOC). Loke also stated the airline needs to comply with the terms for safety.

MYAirline abruptly ceased operation in October after launching its service for ten months. It came after failing to secure a new investor. Earlier, the carrier clarified that its ASL and AOC have been suspended and not revoked. In addition, 900 employees and 117,000 passengers were fallen behind with their salaries and refunds.

Moreover, the refund processes are far behind. As of January 8, a total of 4,304 consumers were assisted with refunds through the chargeback process.

Door Plug Was Made In Malaysia?

Meanwhile, the struggling airline has been facing a setback. AirAsia, its main rival, has bolstered its fleet by leasing four of MYAirline’s previous aircraft. The low-cost carrier launched its services in December 2022 operating domestic and regional services with nine leased Airbus A320s. It is believed the stiff competition cost MYAirline as a result. The airline held only 10% of the domestic market share.

On the other hand, Loke has declined to comment on the Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 9 incident. It was reported by the New Straight Times that the door plug found in Portland was inscribed with ‘Made in Malaysia.’

“We have not received any information and that is not under my purview. I cannot comment on it as that report was merely from a public eyewitness, If there is any official report on this, then we will look into it.” Lok said.

Lok further said the CAAM will look into the incident if the U.S. could provide additional information.