Malaysia Airlines setting new standards with hyper-personalised approach
Reflecting on 2023, Malaysia Airlines stands triumphant with a remarkable recovery, restoring 90 per cent of its pre-COVID-19 capacity. Dersenish Aresandiran, Chief Commercial Officer, Airlines, Malaysia Aviation Group, notes flourishing travel demands on domestic and international routes. Strong load factor performance and forward bookings indicate a balanced increase, with destinations like India making significant contributions. In 2024, Malaysia’s national carrier confidently extends its network, taking pride in seeing the state flag soar over new horizons.
In 2023, Malaysia Airlines announced expansion plans for most of its key markets, including India, China, Australia, and ASEAN. In Q4 of 2023 alone, they resumed operations in Kertajati, Indonesia, and launched three new routes to India, namely Amritsar, Trivandrum, and Ahmedabad, which bring direct connectivity to India to nine key hubs. In addition to these three routes, the airline is also operating flights to six other cities in India, including New Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad, and Kochi, bringing the total India operations to 67 weekly flights. Furthermore, following a positive response and load factor performance, they will also be increasing their frequency from Kuala Lumpur to Amritsar from two to four times weekly beginning January 15, 2024, raising the count of their weekly flights to the country to 69.
Boosting Global Frequencies
In 2023, the airline also added 248 flight frequencies up to March 2024 on their domestic and international routes in anticipation of the surge in demand due to the year-end and new-year festivities. “In addition to our domestic routes, we will be ramping up frequencies on key international routes, including Sydney, which will increase from 14x to 18x weekly; Melbourne, from 14x to 17x weekly from December 2023 onwards; and Narita, from 12x to 14x weekly, effective March 28–29, 2024. In 2024, we will continue to expand our international presence by enhancing frequencies to fully cater to the expected rise in demand. Additionally, we will aim to establish more strategic partnerships and continue leveraging existing ones to solidify our presence in global networks while ensuring customer experience remains the focal point in our decisions,” informs Aresandiran.
Flight Amidst Headwinds
While travel sentiment was upbeat in 2023, the aviation industry had to battle multiple disruptions amid the volatile economic and geopolitical environment. On this, Aresandiran says, “Factors such as pent-up demand, restricted capacities, impacts from fuel and FOREX, as well as supply chain issues, have impacted our plans to further expand our international network. In the near term, a key challenge lies in managing the balance between supply and demand amid heightened competition, overcapacity, and travel demand. We are proactively addressing this by strategically monitoring and adjusting our capacity to mitigate risks associated with unprofitable routes, driven by rising fuel costs and market conditions.”
Revitalising the Fleet
As part of its ongoing fleet modernisation programme, Malaysia Airlines received its second Boeing 737-8 aircraft in December 2023. They have an orderbook of 25 of the aircraft type through an operating lease with Air Lease Corporation, which will be delivered progressively through 2026. They are also currently undergoing a refurbishment on 39 of their 47 Boing 737-800 NG aircraft, which is targeted to be completed in early 2024. In addition, the group recently acquired one A350900 aircraft to support its growth requirements and will be receiving 20 Airbus 330neo aircraft, with the first delivery scheduled for September 2024.
The Hyper-Personalised Approach
Malaysia Airlines is also investing in its onboard offerings. In its commitment to elevating customer satisfaction, it will be focusing on three key customer value propositions, which Aresandiran explains. “First, we are dedicated to enhancing cabin comfort by investing in improved amenities, free WiFi connectivity, and retrofitting the cabin space for a more practical and comfortable experience. Second, we are determined to enhance our inflight dining, spotlighting unique local delicacies to showcase Malaysia's vibrant heritage. Lastly, our cabin crew will undergo ongoing training to consistently deliver the warm embrace of Malaysian hospitality. These are in addition to the many other efforts taken by our team to be brilliant at the basics in addressing all matters across the customer touchpoint. In terms of our product offerings, by introducing MHsports and MHcruise, we have further expanded our products to cater to the range of travellers, becoming the first airline in the Asia Pacific to provide such targeted offerings.”
Aresandiran further sums up, “Moving forward, we will continue to use the hyper-personalised approach to uphold the highest standards of customer service, be it in terms of our in-flight or product offerings.”