Malaysia Airlines' (MAS) new chief executive Christoph Mueller has called on the market to give the airline "room to explore various options" to determine its "most viable strategy".
In a statement, Mueller, who assumed leadership of the carrier on 1 May, says MAS is exploring fleet options to enhance the viability of its long haul sectors. He however stressed that “recent speculations on the airline offering some of its fleet for sale or lease is too premature when nothing concrete has been achieved”.
His comments follow reports that the Oneworld carrier looks set to dispose several widebody aircraft as it restructures its network and fleet. Such types include Boeing 777-200ERs, Airbus A330-200 Freighters and A380-800s.
“MAS needs to operate and utilise its fleet at an optimum level besides maximising revenue on the route it flies. The market needs to give Malaysia Airlines room to explore various options in determining the most viable strategy,” adds Mueller.
The airline says the top priority for Mueller is to "drive the design and implementation of the business plan" for the national carrier, and to turn it into a sustainable and profitable business.
In the coming weeks, MAS will continue its restructuring by withdrawing four destinations from its route network, with Kuala Lumpur-Krabi, Kuala Lumpur-Frankfurt, and Kuala Lumpur-Kochi all affected.
Source: Cirium Dashboard
