Malaysia Airlines

History

Malaysia Airlines commenced operations in 1987 after the airline changed its name from Malaysian Airline System. The airline began in 1947 as Malayan Airways, being renamed Malaysian Airways after Malaysia gained independence. After that, it changed its name once more to Malaysia-Singapore Airlines and thereafter ceased its operation. It was then divided into Malaysia Airlines and Singapore Airlines. Malaysian Airline System took all domestic routes within Malaysia and international routes out of that country, as well as the remaining fleet of Fokker F27"s. It began flights on 1 October 1972. Soon after that, Malaysia Airline System rapidly expanded its services, including introducing long-haul flights from Kuala Lumpur to London. An economic boom in Malaysia during the 1980s helped spur growth at Malaysia Airlines. Prior to the Asian Financial Crisis in 1997, the airline suffered losses, though. The airline recovered from its losses in the year 2002/2003. It achieved its then-highest profit in the year 2003/2004. In the year 2005, Malaysia Airlines reported a loss again. Under the various initiatives, launched together with the Business Turnaround Plan, Malaysia Airlines switched from losses to profitability between FY2006 and FY2007. In 2011, Malaysia Airlines recorded a stunning net loss of RM2.52 billion due to rising fuel costs and mismanagement which was the largest in its company history.

About the airline

Malaysian Airline System Berhad, doing business as Malaysia Airlines (abbreviated MAS), is the government-owned flag carrier of Malaysia. Malaysia Airlines operates flights from its home base, Kuala Lumpur International Airport and with a secondary hub at Kuching. It has its headquarters on the grounds of Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport in Subang, Selangor. Malaysia Airlines has two airline subsidiaries: Firefly and MASwings. It is under review as a "5-star airline" by the research consultancy firm Skytrax and also listed among Skytrax"s Quality Approved Airlines.

Khazanah Nasional"s subsidiary, Penerbangan Malaysia Berhad is the majority shareholder with a 52.0% stake. After Penerbangan Malaysia Berhad, the second-largest shareholder is Khazanah Nasional, which holds 17.33% of the shares. Minority shareholders include Employees Provident Fund Board (10.72%), Amanah Raya Nominees (Tempatan) Sdn Bhd (5.69%), State Financial Secretary Sarawak (2.71%), foreign shareholders (5.13%) and Warisan Harta Sabah (2.4%).

Main route

Malaysia Airlines now flies to 87 destinations across six continents from its primary hub in Kuala Lumpur. It has a particularly strong presence in the Southeast Asia region, which, together with its subsidiary MASWings and Firefly, connects Kuala Lumpur to the most destinations in Borneo Island. Malaysia Airlines operates flights in Southeast Asia, East Asia, South Asia, Middle East and on the Kangaroo Route between Europe and Australasia. It operates transpacific flights from Kuala Lumpur to Los Angeles, via Tokyo.

Fleet

Malaysia Airlines operates the following types of aircraft: 3 Airbus A330-200, 15 Airbus A330-300, 34 Boeing 737-400, 24 Boeing 737-800, 9 Boeing 747-400 and 17 Boeing 777-200ER.