Malaysia to refund passengers if flights are delayed by five or more hours amid national carrier disruptions

Malaysia has introduced new regulations requiring airlines to offer refunds to passengers if their flight is delayed by more than five hours.

These rules will also apply to passengers who choose not to take the delayed flight and buy a different one. The rules, set to come into effect from Monday, are meant to strengthen consumer rights in Malaysia.

Airlines have recently had issues in the country with flight delays and cancellations and national carrier Malaysia Airlines faced disruptions due to engine problems with its Airbus A330 fleet.

Malaysia’s transport minister Anthony Loke also stated that all cancelled flights must be removed from booking systems, including both online and offline travel agent platforms.

“This is to protect users from buying cancelled flight tickets,” he said at a news conference.

The policy is part of the revisions to the Malaysian Aviation Consumer Protection Code 2016, which will be officially published on 2 September.

Earlier this week, a statement from the managing director of Malaysia Aviation Group (MAG), Izham Ismail, said that the conglomerate was reducing flights from now until the end of the year to address ongoing supply chain challenges, worker shortages, and technical issues.

MAG operates Malaysia Airlines (MH, Kuala Lumpur International), Firefly (FY, Penang), and the pilgrimage carrier Amal by Malaysia Airlines.

These flight reductions came after multiple disruptions occurred last week across all three airlines. The disruptions included a Malaysia Airlines A330-300, flying from Melbourne Airport in Australia to Kuala Lumpur, which had to make an emergency landing in Alice Springs in Australia’s Northern Territory due to engine issues.

Another Malaysia Airlines flight, heading to Madinah, was forced to return to Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) because of similar engine problems.

The Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia (CAAM) recently conducted an audit of Malaysia Aviation Group (MAG) to investigate the causes of the recent delays, cancellations, and operational issues, Mr Loke said.

“We are taking very seriously concerns about what’s happening at MAG,” he said. “I am in touch with Izham Ismail, and I’ve asked him to make all the necessary follow-ups to ensure that operations are smooth.”