SEPANG: Malaysia Airlines Bhd (MAB), which officially started operations yesterday, will announce the reduction of its fleet size in the next few days.
“We have some capacity reduction in certain markets that is basically already in place. The company is in the midst of the exercise and will announce it in the next couple of days,” said chief executive officer Christoph Mueller.
He was speaking after sending off passengers on MAB’s first domestic flight — MH1138 — bound for Penang at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport, here.
Mueller declined to say whether the company planned to sell or lease part of its fleet.
Analysts said MAB had more than 100 aircraft.
MAB is the new entity that took over Malaysian Airline System Bhd in a restructuring exercise to bring the carrier back to profitability.
Mueller said MAB would keep its subsidiaries as standalone entities for now. They include MASWings, Firefly, MAS Engineering and MASKargo.
He said the rebranding exercise was ongoing, of which details could emerge in the next 12 to 18 months.
He added that the company was focusing on the operational aspects for now.
“It will be the priority in the next couple of months to get the basics right and we will then start the year by renewing our products.
“What we are going to do in the next a couple of months is to renew the customer experience. We are considering a very light brand refresh so that our customers and employees can feel the fresh start.”
He said product enhancements would include new long-haul business class, information technology system, catering and food concept.
“We do not have the financial means to work with a bang. We can’t repaint aircraft and refurbish all seats overnight.
“What you should expect is a quick succession of announcements and quick cut-over dates where we will work on seats, caterer, in-flight entertainment and so on.”
On the rebranding, Mueller said it would be a very Malaysian exercise.
He did not elaborate as he thinks “it’s useful to keep a little bit of attention and excitement”.
“As I have said, it’s refreshing, like buying a new suit that makes you feel better and start fresh.”
On the possibility of the company bringing in new key people into the management, Mueller said: “Management is like being in a soccer team.
“To see myself as a coach, I think every coach can confirm that the 11 best players of the world will not necessarily make the winning team.
“It will be a combination of individuals, personalities and skills, and this is a challenge in my job to put together a winning team. So far, I cannot confirm or deny that there will be further changes because it’s a continuous process.”
Yesterday, the airline recorded a 89.8 per cent on-time performance.
“We start September 1 with a completely new setup. It is a new entity, new management team, new seats, everything is new.
“It was a smooth transition overnight and we want to ensure that no passenger would feel it,” added Mueller.