SEPANG: Malaysia Aviation Group (MAG) is confident about fully restoring Malaysia Airlines Bhd’s (MAB) in-flight meal services by Nov 15, with better food and beverages for passengers.
MAG managing director Izham Ismail said the recovery to normalcy is at 97% at the moment, adding that it has been a tough journey for the airline since it ended its contract with Brahim’s Food Services (BFS) on Aug 31.
“When you run a business, you need to be focussed on the objective, and while catering is not our core business, customer experience is.
“So, we have to find ways for us to reset our products, and that entails going through a very painful journey,” he said during the “Airline Leader Interview – MAG” session held at the Centre for Aviation (Capa) Asia Aviation Summit and Sustainability Awards 2023 here today.
MAG is the parent company of the national carrier.
Izham said Malaysia Airlines is looking to launch Asean menus as the carrier serves passengers around the globe.
“Our aspiration is to be a premium Asia-friendly airline. Hence, we have to depict the beauty of Asean and Asian cuisines with various menus,” he said.
He said the airline currently has eight caterers supplying in-flight meals.
The long-standing catering contract between MAB and BFS ended on Aug 31 after extensive negotiations between the two parties since the fourth quarter of 2022 did not result in an amicable agreement.
Izham also said the airline recently received 24 hi-lift trucks, which are essential to ensure food quality and safety standards with correct temperatures, preserving the freshness of hot and ambient meals while maintaining stringent practices throughout the process.
“We have 24 hi-lift trucks that arrived a couple of weeks ago, and we are good to go. Therefore, on Nov 15, you will see us back to normal,” he said.
