Encouraged by strong passenger recovery, Malaysia Airlines is sending more of its planes back in the air. And London is one such destination where it is now flying as much as it did before the pandemic. While leisure travelers are returning in significant numbers, Malaysia Airlines is also happy with its recovery in the premium cabin segment.

Twice daily to London

Malaysia Airlines is now back to its pre-COVID schedule to London Heathrow (LHR), operating two flights daily from Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KUL). The airline has come a long way since the peak of the pandemic and has gradually increased flights to LHR over time.

Before this, Malaysia Airlines was flying to London 11 times a week but has now upped the schedule to 14 a week as passengers make a comeback. The carrier deploys its Airbus A350 aircraft to the city and has been operating the type to LHR since 2018. Simple Flying got a chance to review the business class product of the LHR-KUL flight in May.

The airline deploys its A350 aircraft to LHR. Photo: Airbus

Business Travel News Europe reports that Daniel Bainbridge, UK and Europe regional director at Malaysia Airlines, commented at a recent event that the airline’s connecting traffic has been “phenomenal” with a “significant proportion” of passengers flying from London to Kuala Lumpur connecting to the carrier’s flights across South East Asia and with its services to six points in Australia.

Business travel picks up

One of the biggest casualties of the pandemic was the sharp decline in business travel as organizations shifted to virtual meetings and conferences. Some had even predicted that premium travel would not make a comeback anytime soon, creating panic among airlines that rely on corporate travel for a bulk of their revenue.

But demand is bouncing back sooner than one had expected. Speaking about Malaysia Airlines’ flights to London, Bainbridge commented,

“Demand from the UK has been staggering. We’ve seen a mix of leisure and corporate traffic, but corporate has really picked up since Easter. TMC business has gone from almost nothing to very significant in the last month.”

“People leaving it late to book could be in for a surprise. As soon as you know your travel dates, book them. We have 33 seats in business class and if you try and get one in July it could be difficult.”

Malaysia Airlines is witnessing a strong demand for business travel. Photo: lasta29 via Wikimedia Commons

The airline also recently opened its flagship platinum lounge after extensive refurbishment following two years of pandemic-associated restrictions. Passengers flying with Malaysia Airlines in its Business Suite, in first class on Malaysia Airlines-operated codeshare flights, on a oneworld flight in first class, and oneworld Emerald passengers are eligible to use the lounge.

Recovery

Malaysia Airlines hopes to break even in 2023 amid positive signs of recovery. Lau Yin May, group chief marketing and customer experience officer, commented last month that the carrier has already reached more than 50% of its pre-pandemic flight bookings and projects to reach more than 70% by the end of this year.

The carrier operates 25 weekly flights out of India currently. Photo: Tom Boon | Simple Flying

She added that flights to routes like London and Australia are doing really well, and they are waiting for other borders to open in North Asia.

The carrier has made swift progress since Malaysia opened its borders to international travelers in April after nearly two years of being closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Since then, Malaysia Airlines has gradually increased its flights to popular destinations as well as announced other strategic decisions such as increasing its codeshare relationship with Japan Airlines.

Have you traveled Malaysia Airlines between London and Kuala Lumpur? What was your experience like? Please let us know in the comment section below.

Source: BTN Europe