BARELY 16 months after introducing its current branding, Malaysia Airlines will announce a new corporate structure in the third week of March 2012, which is also expected to bring clarity to the airline’s branding and that of its various subsidiaries.
The airline is planning a sub-branding of its premium regional services – a move that first began under the “Sapphire” project title and then tentatively re-named “MAS” (which means “gold” in Bahasa Malaysia).
To be unveiled in April, the premium carrier will operate exclusively with Boeing 737-800 aircraft and will be operational by June 2012. It is not clear if this is or will be part of the joint venture currently being discussed with Qantas Airways.
Changes to the logo are also in progress. Its current logo will be retained but rendered fully in blue while the logo of its premium yet-to-be-named carrier will be rendered in red.
Meanwhile, Malaysia Airlines is considering selling off MASKargo and other subsidiaries including Firefly Airlines (based at Subang Airport in Kuala Lumpur and Penang) and MASwings (based in East Malaysia) to reduce losses made over the last few quarters.
