Air Mauritius has been experiencing flight delays and cancellations since mid-December. This was evident over the past weekend and in recent days as well.
A meeting was held to identify the issues, which include gaps in the supply of second-hand parts and a lack of qualified staff.
Air Mauritius is actively seeking solutions to minimize inconveniences for passengers resulting from the numerous delays and cancellations since mid-December.
A meeting took place earlier this week under the leadership of the new Chief Executive Officer, Charles Cartier.
The objective was to find ways to reduce flight-related problems to a minimum.
A technical audit will be conducted promptly to pinpoint the shortcomings and propose concrete and swift solutions.
“Atma Bumma, Air Mauritius’ communication manager explains, “Given the multiple recent flight delays and cancellations primarily due to technical reasons, CEO Charles Cartier held a crucial meeting with all technical top executives of the company.
The purpose of this meeting was to identify the causes of the current difficulties and implement corrective actions to address these technical problems.”
It was discovered that one of the root causes of the issue is “a breakdown in the spare parts supply chain.
These parts that were previously readily available are no longer as accessible. This is the primary observation.
” Poor management of spare parts inventory and failure to make necessary purchases following the sale of spare parts during Air Mauritius’ voluntary administration period led to a situation where minor repairs or maintenance tasks can become a headache due to the unavailability of specific parts.
It was also established that there is a shortage of qualified personnel for aircraft repairs and maintenance.
Therefore, the decision was made to reinforce the team of engineers and technicians responsible for aircraft maintenance.
The recruitment and training process will be expedited. In the meantime, while recruiting and training, Air Mauritius will seek technical support from the company’s partners in India and France.
This proactive decision comes after a new series of problems surfaced. After a brief lull, flight delays and cancellations resumed at Air Mauritius.
On Saturday, an A350 experienced a technical issue in Réunion. This resulted in the cancellation of the Mauritius/Paris flight that was supposed to be operated by this aircraft, and the postponement of another flight on the same route that was initially scheduled for Sunday but took place Monday morning instead.
On Sunday, another A350 en route to Madagascar had to turn back mid-flight to return to Mauritius.
Also on Sunday, an A330 departed several hours behind schedule from Mumbai, while another A330 experienced a significant delay departing from Cape Town on Sunday.
Additionally, one of the four ATR aircraft undergoing extended maintenance is causing disruptions on flights to Rodrigues and Réunion.
As for the A330-200 that broke down in Mumbai, India on February 24th, it is still not operational.
After extensive searching, a replacement engine for this type of aircraft, a Rolls-Royce engine, has been located in Turkey.
The transportation, which requires special arrangements, is taking longer than initially anticipated.
However, the aircraft is expected to resume service by the end of this month or early next month.
Source: Defi Media
