KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia Airlines Bhd expects to restore its full meal service onboard its flights by mid-November this year.
It has started providing hot meals onboard flights that were affected by its recent catering transition with the arrival of 10 new high-lift trucks.
The national carrier's parent company, Malaysia Aviation Group (MAG) said the trucks are used to uplift the meal carts at the correct temperatures to preserve the freshness of hot and ambient meals while maintaining stringent quality and safety practices throughout the uplifting process.
MAG also said Malaysia Airlines had to temporarily suspend its hot meals offerings since Sept 1 due to the lack number of high-lift trucks available.
In an interview with the New Straits Times (NST) last week, MAG group managing director Datuk Captain Izham Ismail said Malaysia Airlines had to face teething challenges over the distribution of hot meals due to the limited number of high-lift trucks.
The trucks are owned and operated by MAG's ground handling unit, AeroDarat Services Sdn Bhd.
AeroDarat is expected to receive another 10 new high-lift trucks in October.
Izham said AeroDarat had bought 20 new high-lift trucks in June this year when negotiations between MAG and Brahim's Holdings Bhd's in-flight catering unit, Brahim's Food Services Sdn Bhd (BFS) went south.
Malaysia Airlines and BFS ended their 26-year partnership on Aug. 31.
Meanwhile, MAG said Malaysia Airlines has reintroduced simplified hot meals for business class passengers on the Bangkok and Denpasar routes since Sept 11.
It also said that hot meals are also served for economy class passengers traveling to Bangkok and Denpasar as well as for all cabin class on flights from Kuala Lumpur to Kota Kinabalu, Kuching, Manila and Hong Kong.
"Business class passengers heading to all South Asia sectors will additionally enjoy the renowned Malaysia Airlines satay. Other Asean cities will be served with hot meals in stages," MAG said in a statement today.
Malaysia Airlines had introduced revised in-flight meal offerings on routes previously served by BFS since Sept 1.
The revised meals include its signature peanuts and beverages, refreshments in ready-to-go boxes with pre-packaged pastries, chocolate, biscuits, and drinks or hot meals in disposable containers presented on a simplified tray set-up.
The national carrier's services on the London, Auckland, Jeddah, Madinah, Osaka and Haneda (Tokyo) routes remain unaffected.