Malaysia Airlines CEO outlines priorities under turnaround plan

Malaysia Airlines CEO Peter Bellew stated (01-Jul-2016) the airline will remain focused on its turnaround under the 'Going Forward' plan with key emphasis on the following areas:

• 'Fly Smart': Mr Bellew said the airline will "Fly customers safely to places they want to go with great value fares and superior service on clean modern aircraft." The airline aims to "stop doing things that lose money," rebuild relationships with the global travel trade, lead a worldwide marketing initiative promoting Malaysia and commence new routes from various Malaysian airports to new, unserved ASEAN destinations;
• Implement a new website, mobile app, trade reservations system and airport equipment over the next 12 months. The airline's digital booking experience will see significant investment in 2016/17. Mr Bellew said, "From choice of seats to quality of the nasi lemak to time of travel, we need to ensure that the needs of each guest with different individual preferences are met";
• Funding: Costs are on track and the carrier recorded fuel savings of 10,000 tonnes in 1Q2016. Airport costs will be an immediate focus and the airline plans to operate some leisure services from Kuala Lumpur International Airport terminal two (KLIA2) in 2017, where costs per passenger are lower. Mr Bellew said: "Saving money, does not mean compromising on safety or on our products and services. It simply means we need to increase productivity and efficiency, invest in modern technology, enter into mutually beneficial partnerships besides identifying and mitigating risks early";
• 'Fix It': Mr Bellew said the carrier needs to "raise the bar" to ensure customers' expectations are met by all staff across the group. Mr Bellew said: "We know the complexities of our business but our customers simply want great service. They expect us to be on time, serve great food, have generous baggage allowances and safely operate clean modern aircraft";
• 'Family': Mr Bellew said he will work to ensure the carrier has a large group of Malaysian nationals trained in the next three years who are capable of leading the airline through 2030.

Mr Bellew said the airline recorded "great progress" over the last 10 months with many successful turnaround initiatives. Yield improved 23.4%, costs decreased 32.9% and the carrier's bottom line was ahead of budget in 1Q2016. [more - original PR]