Thursday 28 Mar 2024
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This article first appeared in The Edge Financial Daily, on January 7, 2016.

 

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia Airlines Bhd (Malaysia Airlines) yesterday lifted the check-in baggage limitation on flights to Paris and Amsterdam, one day earlier than announced.

The national airline said the temporary limitation of up to 7kg on check-in baggage for routes to Paris and Amsterdam starting midnight on Tuesday will no longer be imposed.

“Malaysia Airlines confirmed today (yesterday) that normal check-in baggage allowances are available on all flights across the network, including services to Amsterdam, London and Paris,” it said in a statement yesterday.

It said affected baggages are being shipped to customers in Europe.

Malaysia Airlines blamed the temporary move to having to operate a longer route to Europe via Egypt airspace, which combined with strong headwinds, limited the airline’s ability to carry baggage in cargo.

“The headwinds over the last four days were in excess of 200 knots, which can add up to 15% fuel burn on a Boeing 777-200,” it said.

“Based on our current risk assessment, done on a daily basis, the airline is now able to take a shorter route on European flights. Malaysia Airlines maintains that safety is of utmost priority in its operations and will not hesitate to adjust its flight path based on its daily risk assessment,” it added.

However, Malaysia Airlines’ latest move has drawn flak from netizens at a time when the airline is working hard at regaining the trust of the public and recovering financially, following 2014’s twin tragedies.

Maybank Investment Bank Bhd  aviation analyst Mohshin Aziz is of the view that the latest baggage restriction was “just an operational issue”.

“This is just another unlucky event for Malaysia Airlines, but it was a temporary measure for two days. Since it has reverted to a shorter flight path, this is no longer an issue,” he told The Edge Financial Daily yesterday.

“Also, [it will retire] the 777-200 fleet by the end of this year,” Mohshin said, adding that he does not foresee the event will have a significant impact on the airline.

He also said a key reason why Malaysia Airlines was the only operator affected by the windy weather and longer flight path was that other airlines are using newer aircraft.

“The problem with Malaysia Airlines is that its fleet is old. If I am not mistaken, the 777-200s are 16 to 17 years old. For other airlines, new aircraft can fly 17 hours. But for planes that are 16 to 17 years old, they consume more fuel,” he said.

“To enable its planes to fly longer, Malaysia Airlines had to resort to making its aircraft lighter,” Mohshin said.

Hong Leong Investment Bank Research aviation analyst Daniel Wong sees the matter as an “internal issue” in the airline’s operation.

“It does not make sense to me. For long-haul travel, people normally have heavy luggage (for check-in). You cannot expect passengers to carry only 7kg of items,” he said, adding that the restriction would have created a lot of problems for the airline’s passengers.

TA Securities aviation analyst Tan Kam Meng opined that the ongoing restructuring at Malaysia Airlines and its latest baggage restriction are two separate issues.

“If it were to impose the restriction to other flights, then it will be negative [for Malaysia Airlines]. However, because it was only for the two routes (Paris and Amsterdam), and for safety reasons, I don’t think it should be an issue,” Tan said.

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