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Mention Malaysia Airlines and most peoples’ thoughts will turn to the enduring mystery of the disappearance of Flight MH370 a decade ago and the tragic shooting down of MH17 just months later. Now, after posting its first net profit in more than 10 years, CEO Izham Ismail wants to write a new chapter — shedding the carrier’s troubled past and transforming it into a well-run, consistently profitable airline. “The perception from the public is that this was a laid-back organization,” Izham, who is managing director of the carrier’s parent Malaysia Aviation Group, said in an interview. “But the new Malaysia Airlines is different, we are creating an organization that is hungry.” Izham said 2024 will be a “year of credibility” for the airline, as it seeks to prove that consecutive years of operating profit weren’t a fluke caused by the post-pandemic surge in airfares and travel demand. He then aims to turn Malaysia Airlines into a premium carrier by the end of the decade. Malaysia Airlines has undergone five turnaround programs since the 1997 Asian financial crisis, and was delisted from Malaysia’s stock exchange and taken private by sovereign wealth fund Khazanah Nasional Bhd. after the twin disasters of MH370 and MH17 — in which 534 people died. The airline had turned to two foreign bosses — Aer Lingus Group veteran Christoph Mueller and former Ryanair Holdings Plc executive Peter Bellew — to revive its fortunes, but both lasted about a year in their roles, before Izham, who has been with the carrier since 1979, took the reins in December 2017. The former pilot, who is generally addressed as ‘Captain’ by his colleagues and peers, led Malaysia Aviation Group — which derives most of its income from the carrier — to a 766m ringgit ($161m) net profit in 2023, its first since 2010. It also posted an operating profit in 2022. Underscoring its revival, the airline last month signed a multi-year deal to become English soccer club Manchester United’s commercial airline partner. Izham said the agreement was part of an existing marketing budget and came “dirt cheap,” but didn’t disclose the price.<br/>

Malaysia Airlines and IndiGo, an airline from India, have inked a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for a codeshare partnership and mutual cooperation agreement. In a statement, Malaysia Aviation Group (MAG) said the agreement would enable both carriers to provide customers with more options and flexibility for seamless travels between Malaysia and India. It said Malaysia Airlines will be able to strengthen its connectivity into India as the marketing carrier on IndiGo-operated flights, while IndiGo customers will get to explore more Southeast Asian destinations through Malaysia Airlines’ extensive network. "This reciprocal arrangement will allow both carriers to provide seamless connections to their customers, besides enabling them to enjoy an integrated travel itinerary among other facilities,” the group said. MAG group managing director Datuk Captain Izham Ismail said the collaboration underscores the group’s ongoing commitment to providing diverse travel options and flexibility to this growing aviation market, with a primary focus on enhancing the customer journey.<br/>