British Airways has confirmed that it is delaying its return to the Malaysian capital, Kuala Lumpur, by at least six months, and the airline has made it clear that it is pinning the blame for the last-minute decision on aircraft engine manufacturer Rolls-Royce.
The Heathrow-based carrier had been set to make its eagerly anticipated return to Kuala Lumpur in November after suspending flights to the Asian city in early 2020 but with just four weeks before the first flight was due to takeoff, tickets have been removed from sale.
In a statement, British Airways confirmed that it was delaying its return to Kuala Lumpur until April 2025 at the earliest, saying that uncertainty over spare parts for the Rolls-Royce Trent engines that power its fleet of Boeing 787 Dreamliners was behind the decision.
British Airways was due to operate daily flights to Kuala Lumpur aboard its 787-9 Dreamliner, but the airline has been forced to ground some of these planes while it waits for spare parts to be delivered by Rolls-Royce.
“We’re disappointed that we’ve had such to make further changes to our schedule as we continue to experience delays to the delivery of engines and parts from Rolls-Royce – particularly in relation to the Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 engines fitted to our 787 aircraft,” the airline said in a statement provided to Head For Points.
“We’ve taken this action because we do not believe the issue will be solved quickly, and we want to offer our customers the certainty they deserve for their travel plans. We’ve apologised to those affected and are able to offer the vast majority a flight the same day with British Airways or one of our partner airlines.”
A British Airways spokesperson added: “We continue to work closely with Rolls-Royce to ensure the company is aware of the impact its issues are having on our schedule and customers, and seek reassurance of a prompt and reliable solution.”
Late last month, BA’s chief operations officer, Rene de Groot, told staffers in a leaked internal memo that the airline would be forced to start cancelling previously scheduled flights due to the ongoing issues with Rolls-Royce.
Groot initially told employees that the cancellations would only last ten days, with destinations such as Doha quickly axed as passengers could be easily reaccomodated on flights operated by Qatar Airways.
It now appears, however, that the supply chain issues plaguing Rolls-Royce and British Airways are set to drag on for a lot longer than previously envisioned by de Groot.
British Airways announced its return to Kuala Lumpur in March as part of the beleaguered flag carrier’s much-touted £7 billion transformation plan. The announcement also included a great unveiling of new short-haul seats, as well as plans to launch a new website and mobile app.
At the time, CEO Sean Doyle said the £7 billion budget would be used to “revolutionize” the airline over the next two years.
Along with blaming Rolls-Royce for its recent woes, British Airways has also criticized air traffic control for continuing delays and cancellations, saying the airline has been more affected than any other European airline.
