MAS improves operation in the latest quarter

Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 when it disappeared while en route to Beijing from Kuala Lumpur in March 2014

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia Airlines has recorded a 10% improvement in revenue per available seat kilometre for the quarter ended Feb 29, 2016. 

In a statement, the national airline said the improvement was due to route optimisation exercise conducted earlier. Seat load factor was also better with more than 350,000 passengers traveling with MAS over the Chinese New Year holidays.

The company’s operations team strives to improve punctuality and on time performance (OTP).

“Malaysia Airlines needs to win on customer service and this is being benchmarked against our competitors , who are operating at 85% OTP at the highest end and 57% OTP at the lowest,” it said in a statement on Friday. 

In February 2016, punctuality reached 85% while on Feb 17, 2016 the airline hit a record 95% punctuality across all flights with 100% on domestic operations.

The airline will introduce new initiatives in the next quarter to improve service quality and to shorten waiting times for passengers.  Other improvements include refreshed aesthetics in the lounges showcasing Malaysian creative talent, new Business Class seats on its A330s, and new on-board cuisine.

“We have seen a challenging quarter but I am pleased to see continued progress made in all key areas such as on-time performance and costs. MAS has been operating for six months now and although we have a long way to go and areas for improvement, we are making steady progress in the restructuring,” said group CEO Christoph Mueller.

He added the company is focused on building momentum with its restructuring in 2016. 

During the quarter, the airline successfully renegotiated contracts with a majority of operating lessors with revised lease rates that are significantly lower and on economically feasible terms. 

The revised lease rate, which is now at market rate and at levels consistent with its Business Plan, has enabled the airline to enter into Letters of Intent with lessors to take on the underlying aircraft.
 
Malaysia Airlines will also be investing in new ground service equipment that will improve on-time performances and turnaround times.