RISE OF AN AIRLINE

Malaysia Airlines’ journey to achieving its current reputable position has been a remarkable one. A small airline operator, it has grown by leaps and bounds to be the force it is within the industry today. A joint initiative of the Ocean Steamship Company of Liverpool, the Straits Steamship of Singapore and Imperial Airways led to a proposal to the Colonial Straits Settlement government to run an air service between Penang and Singapore. On 12 October 1937, Malayan Airways Limited (MAL) was born.

On 2 April 1947, MAL took to the skies with its first commercial flight as the national airline. Driven by a young and dynamic team of visionaries, the domestic carrier turned into an international airline in less than a decade.

With the formation of Malaysia in 1963, the airline changed its name to Malaysian Airlines Limited. Soon after, Borneo Airways was incorporated into MAL. Within 20 years, MAL grew from a single aircraft operator into a company with 2,400 employees and a fleet operator, using the then latest Comet IV jet aircraft, six F27s, eight DCs and two Pioneers.

In 1965, with the separation of Singapore from Malaysia, MAL became a bi-national airline and was renamed Malaysia-Singapore Airlines (MSA). A new logo was introduced and the airline grew exponentially with new services to Perth, Taipei, Rome and London. However, in 1972, the partners went separate ways. Malaysia introduced Malaysian Airline Limited, which was subsequently renamed Malaysian Airline System, and took to the skies on 1 October 1972. It was later branded Malaysia Airlines and continues to be the country’s national carrier.

Malaysia Airlines achieved a significant milestone in 2012 when it received its first Airbus A380-800. On 1 July 2012, Malaysia Airlines cemented its position as one of the leading airlines in the world with the historic launch of its A380 scheduled service between KL International Airport and London Heathrow.

On 1 February 2013, Malaysia Airlines became a full-fledged member of oneworld alliance and is now connected to some 850 destinations in 150 countries across the oneworld alliance network.

The airline holds a lengthy record of excellence, having received more than 100 awards in the last decade.

Among all, the most notable ones are listed below.

Awarded by Skytrax UK

·         World's Best Cabin Crew (2001–2004, 2007, 2009, 2012)

·         5-star Airline (2005–2007, 2009, 2012)

·         Best Airline Signature Dish (2012)

·         World’s Best Economy Class Award (2010)

·         Staff Service Excellence for Asia Award (2010)

Awarded by World Travel Awards

·         World’s Leading Airline to Asia (2010, 2011)

·         Asia’s Leading Airline (2010, 2011)

·         Asia’s Leading Business Class Airline (2010)