MH17 Living Memorial Unveiled in Amsterdam

19th Jul 2017

Nearly 2,000 people, many of them relatives of the 298 who died three years ago aboard Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 gathered in the Vijfhuizen Park near Schiphol airport in Amsterdam to unveil a “living memorial” for their loved ones.

The solemn ceremony was attended by the Dutch King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima, as well as plenty of Dutch government and international dignitaries. One tree was planted for each of the 298 victims of the tragic incident and later families read the names of all MH17 victims before the gathered laid flowers out of respect for the dead.

Head of association of the MH17 victims’ families Evert van Zijtveld said:

It’s three years to the day that MH17 was shot down in mid-air. But for us it was yesterday. That day… left a void in our lives. There is a life before and after July 17, 2014.

Flight MH17 was shot down on 17^th July, 2014 over Ukraine during the civil war that ravaged that country in the region of Donbas. An investigation by Dutch inspectors found that the Boeing 777-200ER was shot down by a BUK ground-to-air missile. The rocket, it is believed, came from the direction of pro-Russian separatists.

The flight was en route from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, with most of its passengers being Dutch, but there were also 9 other nationalities on board including Malaysians, Britons and Australians.

A New Philippines Office Opened by Malaysia Airlines

Meanwhile, Malaysia Airlines has opened a ticketing office in the Makati, Philippines, the first of its kind in this country, with the intent to grow its market reach.

Malaysia Airlines Regional Head for Southeast Asia Yuzrizal Mohd Yousuf said the new ticketing office was opened to complement the flag carrier’s goal of broadening its customer mix. He said the new business model needs a better customer mix by taking on new markets.

He said:

We are looking for more higher-yield passengers to improve the bottom line.

Also, an exclusive passenger sales agent (PSA) for the office was appointed and it will be Global Air Service Corp. President for sales and marketing for this company Ramon Magno said:

With our expertise as a leading PSA in the country, we remain committed to delivering the same level of service customers from Malaysia Airlines.

Malaysia Airlines flies three times per day between Kuala Lumpur and the capital of the Philippines, Manila.