(Abbreviated: '''MAS''',马航 ; of
Malaysia , operating scheduled services to over 100 destinations worldwide. It also operates domestic network and charter services. Its main base is
Kuala Lumpur International Airport , with hubs at
Kota Kinabalu International Airport ,
Penang International Airport and
Kuching International Airport .
1
It is one of only five airlines in the world to have been awarded a 5-star rating by
Skytrax besides
Asiana Airlines ,
Cathay Pacific ,
Qatar Airways and
Singapore Airlines .
See Also: History of Malaysia Airlines
The airline started operations on
1 May 1947 as
Malayan Airways , changing to Malaysian Airways in November
1963 after the formation of Malaysia. With the separation of
Singapore from the Federation of Malaysia on
9 August 1965 , the Singapore and Malaysia governments took over majority control from
BOAC and other shareholders and the airline was renamed
Malaysia-Singapore Airlines . On 3 April 1971 the airline was split into Malaysian Airlines System and
Singapore Airlines . The new airline began operations on
1 October 1972 as the national carrier of Malaysia. On
15 October 1987 , the trading name was changed to Malaysia Airlines.
Malaysia Airlines is listed on the stock exchange of
Bursa Malaysia under the name . Its parent company is Penerbangan Malaysia Berhad. The airline has suffered high losses over the years as a result of fuel price increases and poor management. The Government of
Malaysia overhauled the operations of the airline and
Idris Jala was appointed as the new CEO in
1 December 2005 . Under his leadership, Malaysia Airlines unveiled its Business Turnaround Plan (BTP) in February 2006 which highlighted low yield, an inefficient network and low productivity (overstaffing). The airline headquarters building in downtown Kuala Lumpur has been sold. The new corporate headquarters is now at
Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport in
Subang, Petaling .
The airline is owned by Penerbangan Malaysia Berhad (PMB) (69.34%), Employees Provident Fund Board (10.72%), Amanah Raya Nominees (Tempatan) Sdn Bhd (5.69%), State Financial Secretary Sarawak (2.71%) and Warisan Harta Sabah (2.4%). It has 19,546 employees (at March
2007 ).
Malaysia Airlines has over 20 subsidiaries and associates including:
;;Malaysia Airlines Cargo Sdn. Bhd. - 100%
:Malaysia Airlines Cargo Sdn. Bhd. is a cargo division of Malaysia Airlines and commercially known as MASkargo. It is a cargo carrier based in Advanced Cargo Center in
KL International Airport .
;;MAS Aerotechnologies Sdn. Bhd. - 100%
:MAS Aerotechnologies Sdn. Bhd. is an engineering and maintenance division of Malaysia Airlines also known as Malaysian Airlines' Engineering and Maintenance Division. Malaysian Airlines' Engineering and Maintenance Division offers aircraft maintenance, calibration services, engineering & maintenance training and engineering & maintenance support to airline customers, including
KLM Royal Dutch Airlines ,
Garuda Indonesia and
Royal Brunei Airlines .
;;MAS Academy Sdn. Bhd. - 100%
:MAS Academy Sdn. Bhd. is a training facility for employees of Malaysia Airlines. The Academy also provides training for other organisations in airline operations and other related sectors.
;;MAS Golden Holidays Sdn. Bhd. - 100%
:MAS Golden Holidays Sdn. Bhd. is a division of Malaysia Airlines. Known as Golden Holidays, the division is responsible for marketing and selling Malaysia Airlines holiday packages and tours.
See Also: Firefly (airline)
''
Firefly is a low cost airline which is a wholly subsidiary of Malaysia Airlines but to be managed by Flyfirefly Sdn. Bhd. The airline flies two daily services out of
Penang International Airport to
Kota Bahru ,
Langkawi ,
Kuantan and
Kuala Terengganu , plus daily services to
Phuket and
Koh Samui in southern
Thailand .
FireFly, a new subsidary of Malaysia Airlines Malaysia's First Community Airline, FireFly
MASWings is a newly formed wholly owned subsidiary of Malaysia Airlines. The airline will take over the Rural Air Services in
Sabah and
Sarawak from
FlyAsianXpress . MASwings has plans to purchase 10 ATR 72-500 aircraft to replace its 9 Fokker 50. They will also replace the current fleet of DHC-6-300 Twin Otters with the newer "Series 400" model.
MASWings to replace Fokkers with ATR planes by 2009
;;Female uniform - ''
Sarong Kebaya ''
:The design of the ''Sarong Kebaya'' was introduced on : ''Universiti Teknologi Mara''). The design reflects the Malaysian culture. The batik material depicts the ''kelarai'' motif which is a bamboo weave pattern. It appears in the background in subdued hues of the basic uniform colour. Superimposed on the ''kelarai'' motif is a mixture of local flora such as the cempaka, jasmine and the leaves of the hibiscus. The geometric Sarawakian motif is used for the lapels of the ''baju'', edges of sleeves and the ''sarong''.
:On
1 January 1993 , the colors of the batik were enhanced to complement the color of the male cabin crew's new uniform.
;;Color Code
- ''Sarong Kebaya'' with yellow flowers are for the Inflight Supervisors.
- ''Sarong Kebaya'' with pink flowers are for the Chief Stewardesses, Leading Stewardesses and Flight Stewardesses.
- ''Sarong Kebaya'' with magenta flowers are for the ground frontliners.
;;Male uniform - Classic & Service Jackets
:Male cabin crews are required to wear the classic jacket whenever they are outside the aircraft with some exceptions. However, onboard the aircraft, male cabin crews with the exception of male In-flight Supervisors are required to wear the service jacket. The male uniforms are color-coded.
;;Color Code
- Dark shade ''Ottanio'' color jackets are for Inflight Supervisors, Chief Stewards, Leading Stewards and Flight Stewards.
- Light shade ''Ottanio'' color jackets are for male ground frontliners.
;;Winged Tiger
:The history of the airline started in 1937 when Malayan Airways Limited was registered as a company. Flying operations started in 1947, with the aircraft bearing the symbol of a ''Winged Tiger''. In 1963, the airline was renamed Malaysian Airways Limited when the Federation of Malaysia was formed. Subsequently, Borneo Airways Limited was absorbed by Malaysian Airways Limited.
;;MSA
:In 1965, with the political separation of Singapore from Malaysia, there was continued participation by the governments of Malaysia and Singapore in the airline. In 1967 the company changed its name to Malaysia-Singapore Airline Limited (MSA), which was the joint national air carrier for both countries, and a new logo was introduced.
;;Moon Kite
:In 1971, Malaysia-Singapore Airline Limited was separated into two airlines, each with its own policies and objectives, leading to the birth of Malaysia's flag carrier, Malaysian Airline System (MAS) on
3 April 1971 . The name was chosen because, in abbreviated form, ''MAS''(as in E) in Malay means gold, to symbolize quality service.
;;Current logo (since 1987)
:A new corporate logo designed by Mara Institute of Technology (
1987 , retaining the essence of the moon kite, with a sheared swept-back look for a more aerodynamic posture.
:Along with the new corporate logo, a new type style - , was created. . It is italicized to slant parallel with the logo to accentuate speed as well as direction. Within this corporate typestyle, the alphabets '''MAS''' bear red clippings to denote initials of the statutory name of the airline, Malaysian Airline System (MAS) were added after the original design was rejected by former Prime Minister Tun Dr. Mahathir. The introduction of blue to the original red logo has national significance. The red and blue divides equally in the mid-spine to denote equilibrium.
See Also: Malaysia Airlines destinations
Under the Business Turnaround Plan (BTP), Malaysia Airlines began restructuring. The plan is based on the hub-and-spoke approach and the new Domestic Rationalism Policy announced by the Government. This resulted in Malaysia Airlines’ domestic routes being restructured from 118 to 22 routes and international routes from 114 to 90. The domestic restructuring plan began in August 2006, whilst the restructuring of the international sector is being phased. Phase one - rerouted flights via KL International Airport as the primary hub and phase two, which required routes to be axed after exhaustive route profitability are completed.
]]
The plan is not just to reduce the airline flights but also to improve connectivity and frequency on targeted routes. Previously, Malaysia Airlines only operated 2 daily waves of flight arrivals and departures, but from August 2006, the airline operated 4 waves of flight per day. The airline also launched new flight schedules effective August 2006 to ensure better connectivity.
;;
:As of August 2006, Malaysia Airlines flies to 60 destinations worldwide plus 16 destinations within Malaysia. In cooperation with codeshare partner airlines, the airline serves a further 23 destinations worldwide. It was the first airline in
Southeast Asia to fly to
South Africa following the demise of
Apartheid and the only airline in the region that serves South America via its services to
Buenos Aires ,
Argentina . In 2006, it suspended its routes to Manchester, Vienna, Fukuoka, Chengdu, Xi'an, Cairo, Kolkata and Ahmedabad under its Business Turnaround Plan.
;;
:The implementation of Domestic Rationalism Policy in August 2006, saw Malaysia Airlines lose its non-trunk domestic routes and it will operate only 19 trunk routes within Malaysia. The national carrier operates 7 trunk routes between KL International Airport (KLIA) and Peninsular Malaysia cities, 6 trunk routes between KLIA and Sabah/Sarawak, and 6 trunk routes within Sabah and Sarawak. However, in July 2006, Malaysia Airlines will fly to 3 additional non-trunk routes increasing its domestic routes to 22.
;;
:From its creation, up until
31 July 2006 , Malaysia Airlines provided air links between remote areas of East Malaysia and its urban centers through Rural Air Services (RAS). Using the 19-seater Twin Otter aircraft, Malaysia Airlines provided services to the airstrips in Bakalalan, Bario, Belaga, Kudat, Lawas, Limbang, Mukah, Long Akah, Long Banga, Long Lelang, Long Seridan, Marudi, Mulu and Tomanggong. The loss making RAS was inherited by Malaysia Airlines through the creation of Malaysian Airline System (MAS), from 1971 until 2006. The service is now operated by
FlyAsianXpress but will soon be taken over by MASWings, a new airlines which is a wholly subsidiary of Malaysia Airlines.
See Also: Malaysia Airlines Fleet
The Malaysia Airlines fleet consists of the following aircraft at
August 2007 {Link without Title} :
:-RNSD aircraft is a refurbished aircraft with brand new cabin features.
:-As of August 2007, the average age of Malaysia Airlines' fleet was 11.8 years
The airline flies
Boeing 747-400 ,
Boeing 777-200 and
Airbus A330 aircraft mainly for medium to long haul international routes, while the Boeing 737-400 is often used for shorter international and domestic flights departed from KL International Airport, Kota Kinabalu International Airport, Penang International Airport and Kuching International Airport.
In 2003, Malaysia Airlines' parent company Penerbangan Malaysia Berhad (PMB) signed a deal for 6
Airbus A380-800 aircraft. The first A380-800 was to be delivered in early 2007 under a lease deal from its parent company Penerbangan Malaysia Berhad (PMB). However, in October 2006, Airbus parent company EADS said that the A380 will be delayed for another year.
- On May 29 , 2007 ,Malaysia Airlines has confirmed that they will phase out the 39 737-400s by 2014
List of aircraft that Malaysia Airlines and its predecessor companies flew in past.
Malaysia Airlines offers three travel classes: First, Business (Golden Club) and Economy Class.
The newer version of
First Class was introduced in
2005 is only available on Boeing 747-400 with 12 seats. It features a 180 degree flat bed seat with a pitch of 80" and a width of 20.5" which is electronically controlled that can choose from a variety of positions at the touch of a button. The seat also doubles a visitor’s seat. There is a 115 AC power outlet for the notebook or electronic devices, 15-inch LCD touch screen monitor for entertainment that can be stowed away when not in use and a personal controller unit.
Business Class or Golden Club Class is available on all of Malaysia Airlines fleet. The newer business class that was introduced in 2005 can only be found on Boeing 747-400 which has 41 seats and Boeing 777-200 which has 35 seats. It features 171 degree lie flat seat with a pitch of 62" and a width of 18.5" which is electronically controlled that can choose from a variety of positions at the touch of a button. There is a 10.4-inch LCD touch screen monitor, a personal controller unit and a 115 AC power outlet for other devices into. Other business class are available on Airbus A330 series and Boeing 737-400 which only feature recliners. Personal Television are available on those type of seats on Airbus A330-200.
Economy Class is available on all of Malaysia Airlines fleet. The seats feature a pitch of 34" and width of 17" with foot rests and lumbar support. On Boeing 747-400, Boeing 777-200 and Airbus A330-200, it offers a 6.5" Personal TV located behind each seat and footrest located below the seat infront.
''Select'' is the in-flight entertainment system of Malaysia Airlines. There are two types of ''Select'', ''Select 3000i'' and ''Select Mainscreen''. For aircrafts fitted with the ''Select 3000i'', passengers can choose over 500 hours of audio and video programming. With 200 music CDs and 50 movies on-demand available, passengers can start, stop, forward and rewind their selected programme at will. A touch screen personal TV is available for First Class passengers and Golden Club Class (Business Class) on board Boeing 747-400 and Boeing 777-200 aircraft.
Malaysia Airlines has 2 loyalty programmes, Grads for Students by Malaysia Airlines (Grads) and Enrich by Malaysia Airlines (Enrich). Grads is a loyalty programme with benefits designed for students. Enrich by Malaysia Airlines is a travel reward programme for frequent travellers that comprises a variety of airlines, banks, credit card issuers, hotels and lifestyle retailers around the world.
In 30 September 1987, Malaysian Airline System introduced loyalty programme. In the early 1990s, Malaysia Airlines, Cathay Pacific Airways, Thai Airways International and Singapore Airlines launched their joint Asian frequent flyer programme '''Passages'''. The joint programme was officially dissolved in 1999 and '''Enrich''' made its debut after the split from '''Passages'''.
;Enhanced Enrich
:On
12 July 2006, Malaysia Airlines introduced its enhanced Enrich frequent flyer programme. The programme is now known as Enrich by Malaysia Airlines (Enrich), modeled after its more successful loyalty programme Grads for Students by Malaysia Airlines. One of the enhancements in the programme was the introduction of the Enrich Silver membership, which focuses on economy class travelers, while retaining the other memberships – Enrich Blue, Enrich Gold and Enrich Platinum.
;Member
:Enrich current membership of one million is spread over 240 countries, with the strongest in Malaysia at about 60%, followed by Australia (14%), Singapore, Britain and the US. Enrich membership numbers have been growing at an average of 23 per cent per year, well above the industry’s average of 18 per cent. Enrich members clocked in a total of 2.5 billion miles in 2005.
;Benefits
:There are four levels of Enrich memberships, each offering various privileges including priority check-in, priority standby, extra baggage allowance, amongst others. Miles can be accrued on qualifying Malaysia Airlines services, as well through a host of partners, including airlines, hotels, car rental agencies and credit card companies. Miles accrued by members allow for redemption for free travel, free upgrades and a host of other complimentary services.
;Partner airlines
:Members of Enrich are able to accrue miles on qualifying flights on the following airlines:
[ Enrich - Partner airlines ]
See Also: Malaysia Airlines Awards From 1998
Malaysia Airlines has won awards from international organizations, such as Skytrax for their service to passengers.
Malaysia Airlines is accredited by IATA with the IOSA (IATA Operations Safety Audit).
There have been two accidents involving passenger fatalities on Malaysia Airlines.
- 15 September 1995 - A Fokker F50 () crashed during approach in Tawau, Sabah due to wind shear. 34 passengers were killed.
- 18 December 1983 - An Airbus A300-B4 (OY-KAA) leased from Scandinavian Airlines as Flight 684 crashed 2km short of the runway in Subang on a flight from Singapore. There were no fatalities but the aircraft was written off.
- 15 March 2000 - An Airbus A330-300 (9M-MKB) was damaged by a chemical called "hydroxy Quino-line" which leaked from canisters when unloading, causing damage to the fuselage. The 5 year old Airbus was damaged beyond repair and was later scrapped.
- 30 November 2003 - A cable in a Boeing 777-200 that allows pilots to turn the plane on the ground had snapped before the Bombay-bound jet was to take off. The incident came just weeks after several wires on an Airbus A330-300 bound for Australia were found to have been cut shortly before take-off. Three of the airline's staff were arrested and later released over what a spokesman described as an act of vandalism, not sabotage. Wires of B777 cut off The government and police regarded both incidents as sabotage.
- 1 August 2005 - A Boeing 777-200ER (9M-MRG) made an emergency landing in Perth after the fly-by-wire primary flight control and autopilot failed to operate.
- 3 November 2006 - A Boeing 777-200 (9M-MRI) encountered problems shortly after lifting out of Arlanda Airport in Stockholm, Sweden, when the #1 jet engine on the left wing catastrophically failed, and burst into flames. Although the crew did not intially get any indication in the cockpit that something was wrong, they were forced to turn back to Stockholm, where the plane landed safely MAS B777 Stockholm Incident
- Malaysia Airlines; (2002). Malaysia Airlines Cabin Crew Manual: Introduction to Malaysia Airlines. Kuala Lumpur: Flight Operations.
- Malaysia Airlines; (2002). Malaysia Airlines Cabin Crew Manual: Grooming & Uniform Procedures. Kuala Lumpur: Flight Operations.
- Berita Pulse; (October 2006). Berita Pulse, October 2006. Kuala Lumpur: Communications Division, Malaysia Airlines.
- Berita Pulse; (August 2006). Berita Pulse, August 2006. Kuala Lumpur: Communications Division, Malaysia Airlines.
- Berita Pulse; (July 2006). Berita Pulse, July 2006. Kuala Lumpur: Communications Division, Malaysia Airlines.
- Berita Pulse; (June 2006). Berita Pulse, June 2006. Kuala Lumpur: Communications Division, Malaysia Airlines.
- "Malaysia Airlines: Corporate Info" . Retrieved 31 October 2006 .
- "MASkargo: Corporate Info" . Retrieved 31 October 2006 .
- "Berita Pulse" . Retrieved 31 October 2006 .
- Going Places; (August 2006). Going Places, August 2006. Kuala Lumpur: Communications Division, Malaysia Airlines.
- "AeroMalaysia: Malaysia Airlines: Current Fleet" . Retrieved 31 October 2006 .
- "AeroMalaysia: Malaysia Airlines: Former Fleet" . Retrieved 31 October 2006 .
