Malaysia Airlines Eyes Strong Rebound, No Workforce Shortage

PETALING JAYA (Selangor, Malaysia), Oct 13 (Bernama) -- Malaysian national carrier, Malaysia Airlines Bhd (MAB) expects a strong rebound in its business, alongside a smooth operation with no shortages in the workforce, following the resumption of interstate travel. Group chief marketing and customer experience officer Lau Yin May said MAB, in solidarity, kept the employment of its entire staff in preparation for traffic rebound despite a challenging period brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic. “The thing is that we know this is going to happen (industry shortage) and we always prepare for the demand to come back… it’s not like we can train (staff) overnight. It will take a while. “That time (during pandemic) many airlines did not consider that (keeping workers). It wasn’t easy (but) we’re glad that we held on to our staff,” she told reporters here. To recap, thousands of global aviation industry workers were laid off due to airlines’ financial difficulties caused by the COVID-19 pandemic while some others decided to retire. Commercial airlines, especially in the United Kingdom and the United States, are currently struggling to meet the sudden hike in air passenger traffic given the lack of pilots. MAB currently employs approximately 11,000 workers, including 1,049 pilots and 2,034 cabin crew. -- BERNAMA