Malaysia Confirms Premium Carrier

摘要

Malaysia Airlines (MAS) has confirmed it will launch a new regional premium airline in 2012. The new airline, which is yet to be named, will operate a fleet of Boeing 737-800s. It will provide a select number of key business routes within a small radius of the Malaysian capital, Kuala Lumpur. The announcement came after AirAsia founder Tony Fernandes, who now owns a stake in MAS, said he would be launching a new premium carrier in conjunction with MAS in 2012 (see Fernandes' Premium Ambition, January, p37). The move is designed to assist returning MAS to profitability after the carrier made a first-quarter loss of $397.5 million in 2011.