Malaysia Airlines Shifts its Focus Following New Deal with Emirates

9th Dec 2015

Responding to the recent report made by the Centre for Aviation, in which CAPA stated it expects Malaysia Airlines to make a deal with Australian Qantas following the agreement it signed with Emirates, MAB Chief Executive Officer Christoph Mueller said the carrier will shift its focus away from northwest/southeast to north and south.

One of the “hints” that this would happen was Malaysia Airline’s sacking of its services from Kuala Lumpur to Paris and Amsterdam. With London the now only non-stop European destination MAB flies, its passengers now have to use the airport in Dubai if they want to travel to this continent.

That means MAB will focus on China, India, Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia – all growing markets.

Emirates will offer Malaysia Airlines flights beyond KL to other cities in Asia. A spokesman for Malaysia Airlines said the following about this:

The specific destinations and routes covered under the codeshare agreement are still being determined. The intent is for both parties to leverage their broader networks which include Australia and New Zealand.

Emirates Airways currently operates four flights between Dubai and Kuala Lumpur on a daily basis.

Qantas Not Looking Into Partnership with MAB

CAPA speculated that Malaysia Airlines and Qantas Airways could look to deepen their relationship following MAB-Emirates codeshare agreement signed on 2^nd December, pointing out to their Oneworld link. However, the Australian carrier yesterday said this is not in its plans.

Instead, Qantas will focus on routes operated by Jetstar Asia – Singapore and Hong Kong.

The decision is a logical one, especially after Malaysia Airlines Berhad abandoned most of its European routes. For Australians, this means they would have to stop over in Dubai if they want to travel to Europe.

Qantas, who once sponsored Malaysia Airlines into Oneworld alliance, does not operate any flights between Australia and Kuala Lumpur. The two airlines were close to making an alliance earlier in the decade, but after negotiations failed, Qantas turned to Emirates.