KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 11 Finally, a clear sky for Malaysia’s aviation industry in 2022, as the long-awaited post-pandemic recovery is gradually kicking in with industry players.
IT had seemed like an impossible task. Workers’ morale was at an all-time low, while staff turnover was as high as it had ever been, with eight out of 11 division head positions sitting vacant. The task was made harder when the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) downgraded the Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia (CAAM) to Category 2 status a ranking that prevents Malaysia’s airlines from launching new routes or adding new flights to the US.
FLYFIREFLY Sdn Bhd, the low-cost arm of Malaysia Aviation Group Bhd (MAG), expects to turn a profit for the first time in 2024, which is when the International Air Transport Association (IATA) sees global travel demand recovering to pre-Covid-19 levels. And Firefly CEO Philip See Yew Jin is betting on the commencement of jet operations in April this year to help the carrier turn a profit.