Malaysia sees oneworld as best fit

Photo by Karen Walker

The addition of Malaysia Airlines to the oneworld alliance brings membership up to 12 carriers serving 842 destinations to 156 countries. It was the “best fit” for Malaysia, Group CEO Ahmad Jauhari Yahya said Thursday.
Speaking at ceremonies in Kuala Lumpur on the eve of joining oneworld, Yahya said, “Malaysia has been exploring the best fit for an alliance and we found that in oneworld. We complement oneworld very well. We cover an area of network that is not covered by their airlines and they are very likeminded, very much focused on premium service. So we took out time but we made the right decision.”
Earlier, Malaysia rolled out an Airbus A330-300 in oneworld livery.
Qantas CEO Alan Joyce, oneworld CEO Bruce Ashby, Japan Airlines chairman Masaru Onishi, Cathay Pacific CEO John Slosar and Finnair CEO Mika Vehvilainen were among the executives attending the ceremonies. Malaysia officially joins the alliance Feb. 1.
Two more carriers, Qatar and SriLankan Airlines, have been nominated to join. Malaysia is the first oneworld carrier from the country, while SriLankan will be the first Indian sub-continent carrier and Qatar will be the first of the “big three” Gulf carriers to join any of the three global alliances.
Indian carrier Kingfisher Airlines was set to join, but those plans were cancelled after the airline entered severe financial and legal troubles. It has ceased operations and its aircraft are under threat of being impounded.
Ashby said Thursday that oneworld was not actively meeting with any other Indian airlines. “Our members have a quite strong presence in India. We are open to unfolding events” he said.
“It’s not a case of having the right numbers—there are no target numbers for airlines, lounges. It’s about having the right members. One Heathrow hub, one Hong Kong hub, one Kuala Lumpur hub is worth a million of those other places,” he said.


atwonline.com