Malaysia's civil aviation regulator has cut the duration of Malaysia Airlines' air operator certificate to one year from three years, following a probe into technical issues faced by the state carrier, the transport minister said on Wednesday. The airline's parent, Malaysia Aviation Group (MAG), announced on Saturday that it plans to temporarily reduce flights and routes across its carriers until December this year after service disruptions earlier this month. In June, Malaysia's Civil Aviation Authority carried out an investigation into Malaysia Airlines that found several significant safety and maintenance issues including a shortage of skilled workers and mechanical components, minister Anthony Loke told a press conference. In response, Malaysia Airlines has prepared a mitigation plan that will include an aggressive labour recruitment programme and a reduction to its third party maintenance, repair and operations services to focus more on its own aircraft, he said. "In order to ensure compliance with the mitigation plan, Malaysia Airlines has been directed to present a monthly report on the status of the plan," Loke said, adding that regulators will conduct an annual audit if the air operator certificate is to be renewed. Malaysia Airlines has struggled over the past decade due to two fatal aviation disasters in 2014. It was delisted that year and Malaysian Airline System (MAS) was restructured into MAG under the sovereign wealth fund Khazanah Nasional.<br/>
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Qantas said full-year profit fell as the airline invested more to repair its battered reputation and air fares declined. Underlying profit before tax fell 16% in the year ended June 30 to A$2.08b ($1.4b), Qantas said Thursday. The result was in line with analyst expectations. Qantas shares fell after the airline flagged a slump in international passenger revenue in the final six months of 2024 as capacity continues to flood back into the market following the pandemic. Capital expenditure will jump to as much as A$3.9b this fiscal year from A$3.15b as Qantas foots the bill for its vast fleet overhaul. On a call with reporters, CEO Vanessa Hudson said international fares are continuing to fall as more aircraft take to the skies, though the pace of the decline will slow in the first half of 2025. The results underscore the challenges facing Hudson a year into her job. She’s still cleaning up the mess left by her predecessor Alan Joyce, while picking up the multibillion dollar bill for new aircraft. “Restoring trust and pride in Qantas as the national carrier is our priority,” Hudson said in a statement. “There’s more work to do.” Hudson said flight bookings were “holding up” amid a cost-of-living crisis, and customers appeared to be prioritizing air travel over other discretionary spending. That trend underpins what Hudson described as an “optimistic outlook” for the year ending June 2025.<br/>