MAS flight from Auckland delayed by 48 hours due to technical problems

PETALING JAYA: A Malaysia Airlines (MAS) flight from Auckland to Kuala Lumpur has been delayed till tonight after suffering technical problems.
Flight MH132 was initially scheduled to depart at 12.55am on Saturday but was delayed until 7pm yesterday and was then re-timed again to midnight today (Monday).
MAS said on its Facebook page that the aircraft required immediate replacement parts that were not available in New Zealand or Australia.
"Safety is of utmost importance to Malaysia Airlines. The delay was necessary due to the grounding of the A330-300 aircraft to address the technical problem," the airline said in a statement on Saturday.
The airline also apologised for the inconvenience caused to passengers who were left stranded at the airport in New Zealand.
It added that it had problems finding hotel rooms for passengers because most nearby hotels had been booked up for a concert by English singer-songwriter Adele.
MAS said it was working hard to find accommodation for the passengers.
The airline did not reveal how many passengers were affected by the delay.
The aircraft an Airbus A330-300 can carry 277 passengers.