Guan Eng questions previous govt's decision to approve MYAirline's licence despite weak financial history

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 13 — DAP chairman Lim Guan Eng today said that the previous government’s decision to allow MYAirline to operate has negatively impacted the country’s image in the global airline sector.

“The top question asked is why was MYAirline Sdn Bhd given a licence to operate by the previous government when they have such a dubious financial background? Such failure of governance by the previous government has impaired Malaysia’s international reputation in the airline industry.

“Was any proper diligence done by the relevant authorities then, until (sic) the budget airline company could go bust barely a year after operations commenced?” Lim said in the statement.

He further said that the reckless actions of the airline’s management and stakeholders — resulting in the defrauding of 125,000 passengers who had pre-booked flight tickets amounting to RM20 million — should be met with severe consequences.

Lim said the sudden termination of services and flights without any public assurances from the company regarding full refunds to the passengers is not just irresponsible but also might constitute a criminal offence, as stated by Transport Minister Loke Siew Fook.

“The management has acted in a criminal manner by hiding crucial information and even defrauding both the authorities and their customers, who had gone to the airports fruitlessly for non-existent flights.

“Many angry passengers feel cheated, especially the 10,000 passengers on 39 flights who turned up in vain yesterday,” he said.

Lim said a full refund of the flight tickets to be paid back to passengers should be made a priority.

He said it is crucial for both the Transport Ministry and the Malaysian Aviation Commission (Mavcom) to conduct a thorough investigation regarding this matter.

“Swift and decisive action should be taken not only against the airline but also against any government official who may have been involved in colluding with the company.

“Accountability and justice must prevail to restore trust and protect the rights of the defrauded passengers,” he said.