Leased Plane by Air Mauritius Undergoes Malfunction

Now that the leased plane A340-313 from the Portuguese company Hi Fly has been selected to support local operations, it broke down on Sunday March 25 in South Africa.

Hi Fly Airline was supposed to start service with Air Mauritius from March 24 to April 15 for the Mauritius to London Gatwick route – one of the four A350-900s also faced a malfunction in Paris on Monday.

“During a maintenance exercise, engineers discovered that repairs were needed,” confirmed a reliable source at Air Mauritius.

This resulted in the flight being postponed for a day, causing frustration among passengers.

“They were accommodated and housed in a hotel,” stated a spokesperson from the national airline.

This breakdown could have repercussions on other flights of the airline, but efforts are being made to minimize delays.

Another aircraft was dispatched to transport passengers from Paris to Mauritius.

According to information obtained on Tuesday evening from Air Mauritius, this aircraft should return to service within a few days.

It is worth noting that another aircraft of the company, an A330-200, is still out of service.

This is one of the two aircraft leased on a “dry lease” basis, meaning without crew, for a period of three years. However, regarding the aircraft that broke down in Mumbai on February 24, there seems to be hope.

The search for a new engine appears to be nearing its conclusion. Since late February, approximately a month, Air Mauritius’ technical teams have been searching for an engine.

Engines of the same type as that of this aircraft are scarce in the international spare parts market.

Initially, engineers thought they had found an engine in the United Arab Emirates. However, it turned out to be unavailable.

Another engine had been located in South Africa, but during testing, it was found to be not fully functional, despite hopes that the aircraft would be able to resume flights on March 12.

Another engine was spotted in the United Kingdom, but its owning company demanded a firm commitment from Air Mauritius before authorizing testing.

Faced with the risk involved if the engine turned out to be unfit, Air Mauritius decided not to proceed.

This time, an engine has been sourced and appears to be in excellent working condition, according to Air Mauritius.

If all goes as planned, the A330-200 should be able to take off again within about ten days, alleviating pressure on the fleet.

As for the aircraft leased on a “wet lease” basis, meaning with crew, from Hi Fly, it operated its first flight from Mauritius to London Gatwick on Tuesday evening.

It is noteworthy that Air Mauritius has been facing technical issues since mid-December, resulting in numerous flight cancellations and delays.

Source: Defi Media