Malaysia Airlines has grounded its newly-introduced Airbus A330neo passenger jet due to technical issues, according to the New Straits Times.

The plane, the first of 20 aircraft that Malaysia Airlines has contracted to order in 2022, was taken over in late November and made its prestigious maiden flight on December 19th.

However, the inaugural flight from Kuala Lumpur to Melbourne on that day was hampered by technical problems.

The plane has been grounded for 48 hours, Malaysia Airlines Chief Executive Officer Izham Ismail said in an interview released on Sunday.

Malaysia Airlines has identified three technical problems with it due to issues with the quality of production and delivery levels at the factory.

"We need Airbus and Rolls-Royce to investigate the root cause of these issues on the brand-new aircraft." He said, "This happening to a brand-new aircraft is not acceptable. To me, it's embarrassing."

Rolls-Royce is responsible for the engines on the Airbus A330neo wide-body airliner.

An Airbus spokesperson responded to media inquiries by saying that it is willing to provide support to Malaysia Airlines on technical issues with the new aircraft.

And a Rolls-Royce spokesperson responded that following an initial troubleshooting of the A330neo, a defective component has been identified and is being replaced.