It has been reported that “A system malfunction forced the pilots of an AirAsia X flight from Kuala Lumpur to Jeddah to abort the flight and return to Malaysia 8-2-2015, the AirAsia Group’s CEO said.
The incident sparked fresh questions on social media about the Malaysian airline’s safety record as it struggles in the aftermath of the loss of Flight QZ8501 in late December with 162 people on board.
“One auto-thrust not functioning properly. Actually okay to fly but we just returning it to base,” Tony Fernandes told AFP in a text message, calling it a “minor issue.”
“What is happening with Malaysia and airplanes? This is really, really scary,” posted one Twitter user. For full report please read HERE.
To Tony Fernandez any problems associated with his AirAsia Group will always be “minor issue” until 162 innocent lives have been killed then it will be just a short term nightmare to him. Thanks God that the AirAsia X flight D7172 from KL to Jeddah did an air turn back in good time.
Your truly hopes that Datuk Azharuddin Bin Abdul Rahman, the Director-General of DCA, , will take note of the above adverse comments made in the social media with regards to the safety record in our aviation industry. An airline needs to have Air Operation Certificate (AOC) to operate. The issuance of AOC is under the purview of DCA.
It is an open secret that the then MCA’s Minister of Transport, YB Datuk Chan Kong Choy and DCA have been very AirAsia friendly to the extend of AirAsia was allowed to collect and keep the airport taxes paid by passengers for many years. All airlines are in the position of trust when collecting airport taxes and airlines are legally bound to hand over the airport taxes to the airport authority, which is MAHB. The procedure is no difference to the other airport authorities. This was just one of the examples.
On 19-5-2005 AirAsia X was incorporated. It was incorporated under the name of Fly Asian Express Sdn Bhd (FAX) with no track record operating air services.
On 1-8-2006 the said Minister of Transport had granted FAX/AirAsia X to take over from MAS and operate Rural Air Services (RAS) in Sabah and Sarawak. Presumably within a very short period from the date of inception of FAX/AirAsia X, DCA must have issued an AOC to FAX/AirAsia X otherwise FAX/AirAsia X would not have been able to operate the RAS then. One wonders on what basis DCA granted the AOC to FAX/AirAsia X when at that material time it had no track record for DCA to evaluate. For the background of FAX/AirAsia X, please read HERE.
By April 2007 therre were endless complaints from the Sabah and Sarawak State Government, Tourist Agencies, MPs and other organisations of the poor RASA provided by FAX/AirAsia X. Obviously, Tony Fernandez of AirAsia/AirAsia X was fully aware of the said poor services. Below was what Tony Fernandez told the press as an excuse to give up RAS:
Fernandes said FAX would be launching AirAsia Long Haul operations soon, and that it would be too distracting to operate turbo-propeller aircraft as well.
Spinning Is Talking To Tony Fernandez
It was clear from the above statement that Tony Fernandez was spinning to pave the way to stop the RAS. It was typical of Tony Fernandez. At that material time, out of the twelve aircraft operated by FAX/AirAsia X, seven were found to be grounded by FAX/AirAsia X due to un-airworthiness and another one was cannibalized for spare parts. Only four were in operation for the RAS in Sabah and Sarawak. Hence, the outcries from the people in Sabah and Sarawak. Please read HERE & HERE.
When the Indonesian Minister of Transport announced that AirAsia X flight QZ8501 on 28-12-2014 was unauthorised, Tony Fernandez immediately announced that AirAsia X had the right to fly on Sunday and in fact AirAsia X had been flying seven day a week from Surabaya to Singapore. The silence on the part of Tony Fernandez is deafening, when after his own director had told Indonesian House of Representatives that AirAsia X was only authorised to fly four days a week and it was a “Administrative Negligence” on the part of AirAsia X, HERE.
Track Records of FAX/AirAsia X
In June 2007 MAS was instructed to take over RAS from FAX/AirAsia X. MAS commissioned Fokker Services Asia Pte Ltd to carry out an audit on the conditions of the aircraft. It cost MAS RM35 million to put the twelve aircraft in operational condition. Khazanah, being the majority shareholder of MAS, did not instruct MAS to claim the said RM35 million from FAX/AirAsia X. During MAS-AirAsia share swap fiasco, Khazanah had contracted to buy 10% of the share in AirAsia X. It was uncertain whether Khazanah was also AirAsia and AirAsia X friendly too.
It was evident that at the material time FAX/AirAsia X could not properly operate the RAS, Tony Fernandez had the audacity to have said “FAX would be launching AirAsia Long Haul operation soon and operating turbo-propeller aircraft was a distraction”. At that material time, he got away with such statement. In fact, at that material time, Tony Fernandez and his AirAsia could do no wrong. By the way the RAS was for two years contract and after a year it was prematurely terminated and AirAsia was allowed to keep in FULL the subsidy totaling RM250 million.
In November 2007 FAX changed its name to AirAsia X Sdn Bhd. With such bad track record of very poor maintenance of aircraft, DCA saw it fit to allow AirAsia X Sdn Bhd to keep the AOC and operate long haul air services.
In November 2012 DCA had discovered the shortcomings in AirAsia’s flight operations procedures and practices including flawed communications between flight operations and pilots, outdated manual and flight operations not keeping up with the manual. Despite such discoveries of serious safety issues, DCA still issued a six month temporary AOC, HERE.
AirAsia Was Facing Too Many “Minor Problems”
There have been several reports in the press that AirAsia plane skidded off runway in Philippines, Brunei and Kuching, auxiliary power unit failure and now system malfunctioning, which is a minor problems according to Tony Fernandez. On 28-12-2014 the UNAUTHORISED AirAsia X flight QZ8501 crashed into Java Sea killing 162 innocent passengers and crew. Was the cause of the said crash another “minor problem”?
IT.Scheiss, a regular reader and contributor of this blog, has made the following observation:
There are many Airbus 330s and 320s of many airlines flying daily with little problems but the frequency of AirAsia’s problems suggests something is wrong about their quality of maintenance.
Ministry of Transport and DCA Must Commence Investigation Into the Many “MINOR PROBLEMS”
The IT.Scheiss’ comment was a constructive comments that the Ministry of Transport and DCA should take note of and ask themselves the question: Why there were so many “minor problems” with AirAsia’s Airbus A330s and 320s when other airlines hardly experienced such frequent “minor problems”?
Is the Malaysian DCA serious about safety issues after all? Do we need another air tragedy for DCA to buckle up and provide a real safe and efficient and orderly flow of air transportation and regulate aviation activities in Malaysia as announced HERE?
The Minister of Transport, YB Datuk Liow Tiong Lai, is now duty bound to instruct our DCA, which is an AirAsia’s friendly authority, to commence a thorough investigation into AirAsia Group on all matters relating to safety and maintenance of aircraft as Malaysia must take all preemptive measures to avoid another man-made tragedy.
Yours truly hopes that the current MCA’s Minister of Transport, Datuk Liow Tiong Lai, will not be too AirAsia friendly and put the interests of air travelers and nation as his top priority when dealing with the renewal of AOC or matters involving safety issues and/or AirAsia’s frequent “minor problems”.
I will go further to suggest that DCA suspends AirAsia X AOC while investigating into the system malfunction. We cannot afford another loss of lives. Enough is enough. Liow Tiong Lai what the hell are you doing as a Minister of Transport. Are more concern with your ministerial position and MCA president or the innocent lives of the public. This con job must be stopped.
If DCA and the pondan Minister of Transport are not going to do anything about this frequent problems faced by AirAsia then they must be held responsible for all future mishaps, if any, happened to AirAsia. Both of them have been warned. Why is it so difficult to investigate into the maintenance and safety issues involving AirAsia. Is MOT and DCA trying to cover up for the pariah?
To the Pariah everything is a minor problems as long as he makes the profits. Even the crashed of the QZ8501 was a minor problems to him. His motto is: If the price of fares are low enough, Malaysians are prepared to risk our lives. Looking at this statement will tell you that this pariah will put safety as its priority because safety cost a lot of money in the aviation industry. The pariah knew that. The pariah will not give a damn about passengers safety. He is only interested in squeezing money from the travelers.
Look at the families of the 162 victims that have been killed by AirAsia, he is not bothered about it. He is hiding in KL. And yet he wanted to be seen as a caring CEO. Balls to him, he is caring. He is the worst kind of the pariah.
Hey! Battoli di DCA, tak berani mengambil tindakan terhadap si Pariah kah? Takut kepada si Pariah.
With all the socall “minor issues” faced by TF/AA on all his plane…even Plain Jane can smell that something fishy about the maintenance of the aircrafts in AA.
Maybe it is just a minor problem when grounded but when the plane is in the air…..it’s a major problem!! I believe most of AA plane are not “air worthy” to fly.
Looking at all the frequent problems faced by AA.. TF is maximizing profits from all deparments, with no regrets of the irrespective sacrifice of the innocent lives of passengers/crews etc. Since the Batoli department are not qualified to do a thorough inspection of AA planes, an independent body should be engaged to check the safety of each AA plane.
Better safe than sorry…the track record of AA tells all!!!
sorry to be a wet blanket, but nothing or no action will be taken on Pariah or his Pariah directors by Batoli and his merry men. Such is life…..rich and powerful such as Pariah can do what ever they want and will get away with things….its the every day Joe that gets fined, penalised or punished if he violates a law….sad but true….Moral of the story, be rich and powerful like Pariah…
If The Minister of Transport and DCA are not taking the necessary actions against the low caste and low caste airline then they will live to regret when another air tragedy happened. Then the nation will hold Liow and the DCA Battoli responsible.
We must all tell Tony, DCA and MOT in one voice that we are not going to risknour lives for the sake of low fares with hidden charges. We are not flying AirAsia and AirAsia X.
Let’s see whether Tony can still talk big after this.
Ladies and lads,
http://edition.cnn.com/2015/01/29/asia/airasia-disaster/index.html
If this video by CNN doesn’t get Batoli and Liar Liow moving to suspend AirAsia Groups AOC until a full independent enquiry is done, god help the airline industry in Malaysia.
On another sad note, AirAsia have been laying off hundreds of ground staff without any compensation being given to them. Most have been asked to leave immediately. This is in humane.
Why isn’t the HR ministry acting to safeguard the welfare of the workforce.. No wonder the pariah was terrified of unions mushrooming at AirAsia. He would’ve been hung out to dry for the injustices he’s inflicting on these innocent workers.
“Minor issue” according to this low life curry eating with fake British slang Pariah on the latest debacle. 162 died and many left hurt and grieving? ” minor issue” as his Pariah company has more than 30 million passengers what. Engine died before take off on flight QZ7633? ” minor issue”, AirAsia has the largest fleet of Airbus 320 what, its the worlds best LCC what. AirAsia X’s flight to Jeddah one auto thrust not functioning properly, its ” minor issue”, after all Malaysians will risk their lives if the price is cheap what. Laying off hundreds of staff? ” minor issue”, as he has been touted as the most humane person and loveable character by his staff and his fan club what, thousands will still apply to work for slave driver Pariah what, especially his fan club. Will anyone take any action against this Pariah or shutting down his Pariah business? “minor issue”, he is so powerful, there will be no action against this Pariah and his business. After 3 latest incidents, will Malaysians still fly AirAsia and support it? ” minor issue” will be the answer, as its cheap what…..as much as you can loathe this scumbag Pariah, many are at fault, worshipping him to his cult hero status and supporting his business by using it…..
When you have outlived your usefulness, the Pariah will throw you in the dustbin. That is what had happened to the workers. Azran Omar is another example. To the current staffs of AirAsia, please don’t be too gullible. Your turn is next. Be prepared for the worst. AirAsia has no union and all of you work under contract. You are at the mercy of the Pariah.
When a company start to lay off its work force then the end is near. The curtain is going to fall soon. Even the mercenary journalist BK Sidhu of Star has nothing to spin to help the pariah. It is written clearly on the wall: The end is near!
Ini aoek manyek jeles la sama itu paria.
Spinning is his way of life. He will make statements to suit the situation and not stating the real facts. Just take all his statement with a pinch of salt. I don’t bother to read it because I know that thye are all bullshits.
All problems in AirAsia are minor problems to him. In aviation there is no such thing Ae minor problems. Minor problems may affect other instruments that may cause air tragedy. This is the modus operandi of Tony and his gang in AirAsia. The facts have been revealed and QZ8501 is a concrete evidence for us to judge AirAsia. Fly AirAsia at your peril.
Batolli/DCA start your investigations on AirAsia’s safety issues before more lives will have to be lost. Please please please, DCA acts like an aviation authority.
The dung DCA officers are asleep because of too much “sleeping pills”. Dr MACC should diagnose the special sickness. We don’t want to see more lives have to be sacrificed for the sake of profits.
TransAsia victims are getting compensation of USD 470,000 each for the victims family. How much is AirAsia going to pay the Indonesian’s? Have they even been paid yet? Or victims family must call AirAsia’s World famous super efficient Call Centre?
http://www.thestar.com.my/News/Regional/2015/02/11/TransAsia-offers-470000-compensation-to-crash-families/
widespread corruption, buddy-deals in business and politicians and high ranking state-officials that sweep things under the carpet to protect their buddies assisted by the same shameful circle of newspaperbandits
how can someone be astonished that DCA does not take any action and start doing the basics of their job.
This country needs a mindchange and politicians which start a cleanup rather than carrying on with ” business as usual in Malaysia”. The rest of the world is watching Malaysia with rapidly growing concern as those who are to action are a part of the faulty system.
another one bites the dust in Pariah’s sinking ship. CEO of QPR resigns. People must be tired of this low life Pariah’s BS and PR stunts, and realising Pariah has no substance. All talk and PR stunts only. Maybe its just another ” minor issue” for this low life, no substance Pariah.
http://www.bbc.com/sport/0/football/31461186
Another “minor problem” the resignation of CEO of QPR. The sale of his Caterham F1 racing team is another minor problem. So is the AirAsia X share price which is half of its IPO price is also another minor problem. It will only be a major problems to the pariah when his AirAsia collapses. The sign of the empire collapsing like a house of cards has been clearly written on the wall. The end of the pariah bullshit and hypes is very near.
Pariah gets caught with his pants down ( warning it may cause some to faint or puke excessively). Pariah’s damage control and spinning have been realised by others. This Pariah never learns, just spins and spins. Maybe just another ” minor issue” spin? Below extract from BBC:
Earlier in the week, former QPR striker Kevin Gallen told the BBC that Fernandes had been made to look foolish after publicly claiming he had found a “dream manager” to replace Harry Redknapp.
“It is obvious that manager wasn’t Chris Ramsey,” Gallen told Radio 5live.
But Fernandes has now clarified his position, tweeting: “We found a great guy to manage us from next season, a dream manager. But actually we had a dream candidate right in front of us in Chris Ramsey.”
A con man will always be a con man. He will never change.
Emergency landing by AirAsia X in Melbourne airport had to be another minor problem for AirAsia and Tony. AirAsia has been having many minor problems. It will remain minor until another air tragedy like QZ8501. All is not well with AirAsia/AirAsia X. DCA and Liow Tiong Lai please wake up and do something to ensure air safety will not be compromised in Malaysia.
How to suspend? Money already taken as gratitude so now must return favor lor..