By Will Lee
Malaysia Airlines Reinstates Flights to London and Australia
Malaysia Airlines recently announced that the carrier will increase its flight operations between Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia to London’s Heathrow Airport after Mar. 27. The announcement came after the government’s decision of reopening its borders on Apr. 1.
In the early phase, the airline will operate 11 times weekly until Jun. 29. After Jun. 30. the airline will resume the services to pre-pandemic levels, twice daily flights to London, the first time since 2020. It is expected to provide more than 70,000 seats between the two capital cities.
“We now eagerly the opening of Malaysian borders on Apr. 1. for travelers who we know have been wanting to visit and look forward to welcoming them back on board with our signature Malaysian hospitality.” Daniel Bainbridge, Malaysia Airlines U.K. and Europe regional director said.
Flights will be operated by the airline’s Airbus A350-900 aircraft.
After two years of the pandemic. Some Asian countries start reopening its border to entice foreign travelers to stimulate their travel industries. The country’s flag carrier emphasized that it will continue to work with the Ministry of Transport, ensuring relax the travel restrictions wouldn’t put the nation at risk. In addition, the airline is looking to achieve approximately 70% of its pre-covid capacity by the end of 2022.
According to the airline, for January and February, the carrier operated about 23% of 2019’s available seat kilometers (ASK) levels for the same period. Meanwhile, Malaysia Airports — the operator of managing 39 airports in the country — has welcomed the government’s decision.
“We are looking forward to seeing good growth in our international passenger and aircraft traffic movements as this would contribute significantly to the Group’s and airport community’s business performance.” Dato’ Iskandar Mizal Mahmood, Managing Director of Malaysia Airports said.
Malaysia Airports believed that most passengers would not have traveled by air since the pandemic has begun.
Flight Resumptions to Australia
The airline is ready to take passengers back to the skies, announcing that flight between Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia to Perth, Australia was reinstated after Western Australia lifted its travel restrictions. Also, the airline will increase its services to Perth, Australia by increasing frequency to five times weekly, and seven times weekly to Sydney.
Earlier, Malaysia Airlines and Qatar Airways signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). Malaysia Airlines believed the agreement could provide better efficiencies and a more comprehensive network for its travelers. The pairs also agreed to maximize synergies on air cargo, operation or commercial services.
Despite the airline is seeing the light at the end of the tunnel, the aviation industry is facing another setback. The fuel price has been skyrocketing since the invasion of Ukraine. Malaysia Airlines decided that it will impose a fuel surcharge on passengers and cargo services.
“The airline is pro-actively managing its capacity to mitigate unprofitable routes due to rising fuel costs,” The airline said.
Will has been a travel agent in Hong Kong for almost three decades, as time goes by he hasn’t lost his passion for his job, He still has plenty of enthusiasm for the airline industry and airport operations.