Malaysia Airlines is set to become a full member of the oneworld global airline alliance during the second half of 2012 after the Chief Executives of the group’s members unanimously elected the carrier as a designate member at a meeting on the sidelines of IATA's 2011 World Air Transport Summit, which opened in Singapore today. A formal alliance membership plan will be devised shortly and the carrier is now working with oneworld members and partners to develop bilateral links across the group’s network.
"With the world airline industry increasingly focused on alliances, we have carried out careful analysis of the options now available to Malaysia Airlines. The time is clearly right for our company to join one of the global airline groups, and oneworld is clearly the best option for us,” said Tengku Azmil Aziz, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Malaysia Airlines. As a company highly focused on quality service, we are immensely proud to have been invited to join the highest quality alliance with the best airline partners offering a global network that best complements our own. We look forward to completing all joining requirements as soon as possible."
When Malaysia Airlines becomes part of oneworld, its customers will gain access to the alliance's truly global network, but its own activities will help expand the alliance's global coverage to almost 950 destinations in 150 countries, served by a combined fleet of more than 2,600 aircraft operating some 10,000 flights a day and carrying 358 million passengers a year. Three established member airlines currently serve Malaysia, with Cathay Pacific, Japan Airlines and Royal Jordanian flying to Kuala Lumpur, and Cathay Pacific also to Penang and, through its Dragonair affiliate, Kota Kinabalu. Opportunities for expanding the alliance's coverage of the country are sure to be explored ahead of Malaysia Airlines' formal entry.
Malaysia Airlines was formed with the incorporation of Malayan Airways Limited (MAL) on October 12, 1937. It launched operations on April 2, 1947 in the domestic market but turned into an international airline in less than a decade. In 1963, the airline changed its name to Malaysian Airlines Limited, MAL and in 1965, with the separation of Singapore from Malaysia, MAL became a bi-national airline and was renamed Malaysia-Singapore Airlines (MSA). In 1973, the partners went separate ways and Malaysia introduced Malaysian Airline Limited, which was subsequently renamed Malaysian Airline System or in short, Malaysia Airlines.
Today, Malaysia Airlines and its subsidiaries employ 20,000 staff, flying around 45,000 passengers daily, serving almost 100 destinations globally in more than 30 countries across Asia, Australasia, Europe, Africa and North and South America, including oneworld's hubs in Buenos Aires, Delhi, Hong Kong, London Heathrow, Los Angeles, Mumbai, Sydney and Tokyo Haneda and Narita. It carried 15.7 million passengers in 2010, generating revenues of US$4.5 billion and posting net profits for the year of US$78 million and US$88 million at the operating level. Its fleet currently consits of Its current group fleet comprises 126 aircraft, including 10 Boeing 747-400s, 17 777-200s, 11 Airbus A330-300s, 11 Boeing 737-800s and 37 737-400s. Its outstanding orders include six Airbus A380s, for delivery from 2012.
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