KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia Aviation Group (MAG) expects flight delays and improvement of Malaysia Airlines Bhd's in-flight meals to normalise within this month after facing backlash from passengers since Sept 1.
MAG group managing director Datuk Captain Izham Ismail said it is facing teething challenges over the distribution of hot meals onboard Malaysia Airlines' aircraft due to the limited number of high-lift trucks that its ground handling unit AeroDarat Services Sdn Bhd has.
He said AeroDarat currently has four high-lift trucks that are working round the clock to put the meals onboard Malaysia Airlines' aircraft.
The ground handling company will receive 10 new trucks by Sept 10.
"This is interim. It'll not last forever. What does it take for MAG to deliver hot meals? Equipment. What kind of equipment? Not the cooking equipment. I want to clarify that we don't cook (the meals) at all.
"Our suppliers cook the meal but they don't have the (required) licence to send it to the aeroplane. They don't have the vehicle to send it (the meals) to the aeroplane. That's why we use AeroDarat (high-lift trucks)," Izham said in an interview today.
High-lift truck or airline catering truck is designed to carry and load containers with airline food for passengers into an aircraft.
Izham said AeroDarat had bought 20 new high lift trucks in June this year when negotiations between MAG and Brahim's Holdings Bhd's in-flight catering unit, Brahim's Food Services Sdn Bhd (BFS) went south.
He added that the trucks were supposed to be delivered in December this year from China but AeroDarat had managed to bring forward the delivery date to September.
The balance of another 10 new trucks will be delivered in October.
"This is a painful pathway moving forward but I assure you it's short-term and interim. Once our equipment (high-lift trucks) arrives, you'll see improvement," Izham said, adding that Malaysia Airlines will continue serving meals onboard all of its flights.
Currently, MAG is working with eight in-flight meal service providers to provide food onboard its domestic and international flights.
The service providers include Pos Aviation Sdn Bhd and MAS Awana Services Sdn Bhd.
Izham said Pos Aviation is serving Malaysia Airlines' flights to Doha, Tokyo, Kansai, London as well as the Australian sector, to name a few while MAS Awana serves the domestic routes.
Previously, Pos Aviation serves 14 per cent of Malaysia Airlines' routes, including to London and Tokyo.
Currently, it has ramped up capacity to provide in-flight meals to 20 per cent of the carrier's total flights.
Eighty per cent of Malaysia Airlines' total flights are being served by MAS Awana and other service providers.
Malaysia Airlines had experienced several flight delays since Friday (Sept 1) as it embarks on a new journey without Brahim's Food Services Sdn Bhd (BFS).
Following the end of its 26-year partnership with BFS on Aug 31, Malaysia Airlines has been caught in the centre of a social media storm.
BFS had previously served in-flight meals to all Malaysia Airlines' flights out of KLIA except to Tokyo and London.
The in-flight meals for the two destinations are provided by Pos Aviation.