Dr Wee: Malaysian Airlines flew cargo only flights to make up for losses during pandemic

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia Airlines Berhad (MAB) has taken the initiative to use its planes to provide cargo only services following the disruption of air travels due to the Covid-19 pandemic, said Datuk Seri Wee Ka Siong.

In a parliamentary written reply, the Transport Minister explained that the planes provide cargo services which are known as the Passenger-to-Cargo (P2C), which utilises the cargo belly of the plane.

"Aside from that, MAB also operates Cargo-In-Cabin (CIC), where cargo is placed in the overhead stowage compartments, closets and under the seats of passengers.

"Both of these P2C and CIC flights do not require any aircraft modifications," he said.

He also revealed that in 2020, MAB handled a total of 1,612 P2C and CIC flights.

"For the year 2021, as of July 31, MAB has operated a total of 2,033 P2C and CIC flights," said Dr Wee.

He said that cargo services cater to destinations such as New Delhi, Madras and Mumbai, India, Sydney and Melbourne, Australia, Beijing, China and Hong Kong, among others.

"The P2C and CIC flights are just temporary measures for MAB in its bid to generate revenues for the company under its recovery plan while awaiting for demand from passengers for travel services to resume as normal," he said.