​Malaysia Airlines may have probably gone through the worst chapter in its entire history when twin air tragedies occurred successively in such an unprecedented fashion in post-war era.
Last week, the airline has announced that it is on its way to trim its workforce by almost 30% out of the total 20,000 staff that it currently employs across the nation as part of its restructuring plan. The airline is aiming to start a new airline company with a workforce it can manage without sacrificing profitability. This was revealed, in a recent public announcement, by Khazanah Nasional, the investment arm of the government and the airline's majority stakeholder.
The restructuring plan also includes the termination of some routes that are deemed not profitable enough. Although no specifics were provided as to which routes are going to be axed until a new management team is formed to take over in July next year.
According to Kahazanah, the government has provided the airline a bailout money of about $2 billion to support its operations while undergoing restructuring program which includes, among others, rebranding.
Analysts have said that the airline has plenty of corrections to do in its system in order to move forward. They cited the carrier's tolerance to 'political patronage system', wherein they favor suppliers or contractors for its products and services that have strong connection to incumbent political officials who wield high positions in the government.
Though the rebranding of the airline is considered in its initial plan to erase the tragic memory of the past, airline officials find it hard to replace the name which has become a global brand, an institution and an icon that is identical to the Malaysian culture.
For this reason, the existing brand 'Malaysia Airlines' may still be a part of a new beginning for the carrier.
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