Malaysia Airlines/Company History

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Malaysia Airlines - a Brief History


MAS 50th Anniversary aircraft
Source: MAS-50th-1997

On 2 April 1997, Malaysia Airlines celebrated a 50th Anniversary as Malaysia's national airline.

The company had recently announced the purchase of ten Boeing B777-200, five Boeing B777-300 and ten Boeing B747-400 aircraft.

However, the company operated with the name Malaysia Airlines only since 1972 with the formation of Malaysian Airline System Berhad (MAS).

Following the two disasters of MH370 and MH17 in 2014 the company was de-listed; and re-birthed as Malaysia Airlines Berhad (MAB).
To travellers and the public the name Malaysia Airlines has remained unchanged.

Some key dates in the recent history of Malaysia Airlines are listed below.

Malaysia Airlines - key dates

1972
Malaysia Singapore Airlines was renamed Malaysian Airline System (MAS)
2011
Ahmad Jauhari Yahya was appointed CEO of Malaysia Airlines (MAS) in September 2011.
Saturday, 8 March 2014
Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 lost contact between Kuala Lumpur and Beijing, continued to fly for several hours and is believed to have crashed in the southern Indian ocean.
Thursday, 17 July 2014
Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 was shot down over eastern Ukraine.
Friday, 8 August 2014

Prime Minister Najib Razak announced changes to Malaysian Airline System Berhad as a necessary response to those two events.
The Statement and a summary of the process is linked here.

Friday, 7 November 2014
Malaysia Airlines Berhad was Incorporated.
Thursday, 1 January 2015
Christoph Mueller joined the board of Malaysian Airline System Bhd (MAS) and became CEO-designate of the new airline on 1 March 2015.
Friday, 1 May 2015
Christoph Mueller replaced Ahmad Jauhari Yahya as managing director and CEO of MAS on Friday, 1 May 2015 Friday, 1 May 2015.
Tuesday, 1 September 2015
Malaysia Airlines, Malaysia's national carrier, welcomed the start of its new company Malaysia Airlines Berhad (MAB).
Thursday, 19 May 2016
The establishment of the Malaysia Aviation Group (MAG) was announced.
Friday, 1 July 2016
Peter Bellew was appointed to lead the Malaysia Aviation Group (MAG) and Malaysia Airlines Berhad as Chief Executive Officer, following the resignation of Christoph Mueller
Tuesday, 1 November 2016
Malaysia Aviation Group (MAG) announced the appointment of Captain Izham Ismail as the new Chief Operations Officer (COO) of Malaysia Airlines Berhad (MAB).
Friday, 1 December 2017
Captain Izham assumed the role of GCEO upon the departure of Peter Bellew




MAS 50th Anniversary logo
Source: MAS-50th-1997

April 2nd, 1997, marks Malaysia Airlines' 50 years as Malaysia's national airline. The airline is one of the oldest airlines with the youngest fleet. This will continue to be the airline's strength, as it builds on its experience, and with the arrival of the B-777s, it will catapult into the forefront of aviation technology.

As Malaysia's national carrier, the airline has grown in tandem with the aspirations of the country. Malaysia Airlines started with the objective of meeting the basic air transport needs for the country and grew to become a regional carrier. The Airline is poised to be a global carrier, with its chairman Tan Sri Tajudin Ramli providing the vision.

Source: Malaysia Airlines - 50 Years of Enrichment MAS-50th-1997