Malaysia Airlines Expected To Be Profitable From 2018

KUALA LUMPUR, March 30 (Bernama) -- Malaysia Airlines Bhd (MAB) is expected to start recording profit by 2018, based on its commitment and focus on various initiatives being implemented under the MAS Recovery Plan (MRP). The Malaysia's Finance Ministry in a written reply to the Dewan Rakyat (Malaysian Parliament) said besides that, MAB had successfully achieved on-time performance, that is on-time departures and arrivals of aircraft, at 95 per cent for all its domestic flights. "Since beginning its operations on Sept 1, 2015, MAB has made positive progress in line with the aspirations of MRP, and MAB will continue to focus on initiatives to revive the company," the ministry said. Among the initiatives implemented to reduce operation cost are suspending non-profitable routes and signing a strategic collaboration with Emirates Airlines via codeshare, which provides wider route access to more than 30 countries including North and South America as well as Africa. Other strategies include offering fully lie-flat seats for Business Class on A330-300 aircraft. "All 15 aircraft of this type will be equipped with the new configuration and this is expected to be fully completed this August," he said. The 12-point MRP covers operation and financial framwework, business operation model, leadership, human capital, and regulatory and enabling environment. --BERNAMA