Tag Archives: MAG

Malaysia Airlines to connect more non-metro cities in India

 

Malaysia Airlines is set to expand its presence in India by flying to more non-metro cities and increasing the frequency of flights to Ahmedabad and Trivandrum. The airline currently operates 71 weekly flights connecting nine Indian cities with Kuala Lumpur.

Dersenish Aresandiran, Chief Commercial Officer of Airline Business at Malaysia Aviation Group (MAG), confirmed plans to increase services to these cities. The airline also aims to operate more flights to non-metro cities, where there are no restrictions due to bilateral flying rights.

Bilateral flying rights between India and Malaysia primarily cover metro routes, leaving room for increased operations in non-metro cities. This gives Malaysia Airlines the flexibility to expand its services beyond major hubs.

At present, the airline flies daily to Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Amritsar, Chennai, Hyderabad, and Kochi, and offers four weekly flights from Ahmedabad and Trivandrum.

Malaysia Aviation Group cuts flight capacity amid supply & technical issues

Malaysia Aviation Group (MAG), which operates Malaysia Airlines, Firefly, and Amal by Malaysia Airlines, announced it will be cutting flights until the end of 2024 to address ongoing supply chain problems, manpower shortages, and technical issues. This decision follows multiple disruptions last week, including emergency landings and flight returns due to engine problems.

Izham Ismail, MD, MAG, stated that the company is taking immediate steps to address the root causes of these operational difficulties. The group has also been impacted by delayed deliveries of new aircraft this year, leading to fewer available planes than planned. MAG is working closely with aircraft and engine manufacturers, as well as other suppliers, to resolve these issues.

The flight cuts are intended to ensure the long-term reliability of MAG’s fleet and operational robustness. The company emphasized that these measures are temporary and necessary for corrective actions.

Meanwhile, Malaysian Transport Minister Anthony Loke revealed that the Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia (CAAM) recently conducted an audit of MAG to understand the reasons behind the recent spate of delays and cancellations. The findings will be presented to the Cabinet this week. Loke expressed confidence in MAG’s professionalism and assured that all necessary steps are being taken to ensure passenger safety and smooth operations.

 

 

 

 

Malaysia Airlines Forges Strategic Alliance with Manchester United; Introduces Three New Destinations

Malaysia Airlines has taken a significant step to broaden its global footprint by forging a strategic, multi-year partnership with Manchester United football club as its Official Commercial Airline. This collaboration aims to extend Malaysia Airlines’ renowned Malaysian Hospitality to Manchester United’s extensive community of over 1.1 billion fans worldwide. Through co-branded marketing initiatives, both brands seek to enhance brand visibility across diverse global audiences while delivering top-notch service and immersive experiences.

Simultaneously, at the MATTA Fair 2024, Malaysia Airlines unveiled plans to introduce flights to three new destinations: Malé, Maldives (MLE); Da Nang, Vietnam (DAD); and Chiang Mai, Thailand (CNX). These new routes will offer improved connectivity from Kuala Lumpur, with ticket sales commencing on 22 March 2024. Daily flights to MLE will commence on 1 August 2024, daily flights to DAD will begin on 24 September 2024, and five-times-weekly flights to CNX will launch on 15 August 2024.

This will mark the airline’s 13th destination in South Asia and 16th in ASEAN as it seeks to boost its presence within key markets, strengthening its position as the gateway to Asia and beyond in line with its commercial elevation journey. As a member of the oneworld® alliance, Malaysia Airlines currently offers superior connectivity to more than 900 destinations in 170 territories across the globe.

In the same event, the airline also unveiled its new A330neo Business Class and Economy Class seats as part of its fleet modernisation plan, ahead of the first aircraft’s scheduled delivery in Q3 2024. The new A330neo cabin will feature many ‘firsts’ for the airline and historically in its fleet.

Datuk Captain Izham Ismail, Group Managing Director of Malaysia Aviation Group (MAG), said, “Malaysia Airlines has undergone a chequered journey over the last decade, however through it all, our resilience has remained steadfast. Having stabilised our balance sheet and recording our strongest-ever financial year performance since the past decade, we are now in a stronger position to steer our focus towards accelerating investments into our product and service delivery to elevate the customer experience.

With our Manchester United collaboration, the expansion of our network to three new routes, and the unveiling of the new cabin seats on our new A330neo; this sets the benchmark of exciting things to come as we redefine what it means to travel onboard Malaysian Hospitality. ”

Malaysia Airlines meets trade partners in India as the airline charts out expansion plans

In a bid to promote its new routes to India, Malaysia Airlines organized networking events in Jalandhar, Trivandrum, and Ahmedabad with its regional trade partners. Last month, the airline announced the commencement of three new services between Kuala Lumpur (KUL) to Amritsar (ATQ), Trivandrum (TRV) and Ahmedabad (AMD) effective 8 November, 9 November, and 1 December 2023 respectively.

The networking events attracted more than 200 trade partners, providing an opportunity for agents to discuss the airline’s latest plans and products. These events fostered better communication and understanding among participants.

Dersenish Aresandiran, Chief Commercial Officer of Airlines from Malaysia Aviation Group (MAG), commented, “India, a key international market for Malaysia Airlines, occupies a pivotal position in our strategic initiatives. The introduction of new routes underscores our steadfast commitment to serving the Indian market with excellence. We deeply value the instrumental role played by our travel trade partners in India, who have contributed to our success, and through these engagements, we aim to strengthen our partnerships and express our sincere gratitude for their unwavering support.”

Malaysia Aviation Group appoints Dersenish Aresandiran as its Chief Commercial Officer

Malaysia Airlines Group (MAG) recently appointed Dersenish Aresandiran (Dersi) as its new chief commercial officer of its airlines, effective 1 July 2023. With over 16 years of experience, Dersi will play a significant role in shaping the commercial strategy and direction for MAG airlines – Malaysia Airlines, Firefly and MASwings.

Dersi has previously been associated with Malaysia Airlines in another capacity – as the Global Head of Revenue Management & Commercial Planning – from March 2018 to July 2021. Besides Malaysia Airlines, he has also had stints at Qatar Airways and Air Asia.

Commenting on his appointment, Dersi said, “I am elated to embark on a new chapter of my career with MAG. Following my fruitful association with Malaysia Airlines in the past, I am all geared-up to forge a meaningful relationship in this new role. In addition to monitoring and driving the commercial strategy for MAG’s airlines, I will aim to help the organisation reach newer heights as we together implement the Long-Term Business Plan (LTBP2.0).”

Congratulating Dersi on his appointment, Ahmad Luqman Mohd Azmi, Chief Executive Officer of Airlines, said, “I am delighted to extend a welcome back to Dersi, on behalf of MAG. He has been a reputed leader in the aviation industry, having successfully implemented swift and diverse changes across markets. With his rich and diverse experience, I am confident that he will prove to be a key asset for our organisation.”

MAG Partners with CHOOOSE to Provide Emissions Transparency and Climate Action to Customers

Malaysia Aviation Group (MAG), the parent company of national carrier Malaysia Airlines, announced its partnership with CHOOOSE, a Norway-based climate tech company, to develop a climate software solution to support MAG’s commitment to reaching net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 in line with the MAG Sustainability Blueprint.

Through this partnership, Malaysia Airlines’ individual and corporate customers can understand and address the emissions associated with their flights by supporting verified carbon offset projects directly when booking through the airline’s official website starting in June 2023. The climate projects selected by MAG, in collaboration with industry experts, are certified by internationally recognised carbon certification standards.

Commenting on this, Philip See, Group Chief Sustainability Officer of MAG, said, “We recognise the importance of our role in creating a sustainable future for the aviation industry, and we are committed to not just reducing our carbon footprint but rally participation from our customers to be part of this significant journey, towards achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.”

By embedding the CHOOOSE-powered solution directly into the customer booking flow, MAG provides transparency around the carbon emissions of every journey and educates customers on their carbon impact with precise calculations according to latest industry standards.

Customers can then choose to address the carbon emissions of their flight and support high-quality carbon projects by purchasing verified carbon offsets in line with the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Following the transaction, CHOOOSE will provide a certificate confirming the customer’s climate offset purchase. The partnership will expand to include the purchase of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF).

Andreas Slettvoll, CEO & Founder, CHOOSE, said, “We are proud to support MAG in providing their customers with the tools they need to understand and address the carbon emissions associated with their flights. The demand for transparency around carbon emissions from customers continues to grow, and partnerships such as this are crucial in helping to achieve industry-wide change with more sustainable travel options. MAG is a key player in the travel industry and we are proud to be working alongside them as part of their sustainability strategy.”

Additionally, through the new programme, corporate customers will be provided with tools to automatically estimate the greenhouse gas emissions associated with their company’s employee travel, to voluntarily offset these emissions, and to report on their climate action along the way.