New low-cost carrier MYAirline Sdn Bhd has been allowed to sell air tickets and undertake commercial air passenger flights. The company had recently secured its full air service licence (ASL) from the Malaysian Aviation Commission (MAVCOM) for a period of 12 months from 15 November 2022 to 14 November 2023, while last month it received its air operator’s certificate (AOC) from the Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia (CAAM).
“We are pleased to receive our ASL from Mavcom a little over a month after CAAM awarded us an AOC,” said MYAirline chief executive officer Rayner Teo in a statement issued today. “This shows that we are equipped to operate commercial flights with professional capabilities to establish and maintain a reliable system for aircraft operations.”
The new airline is set to launch its first flights during the fourth quarter of 2022, covering key domestic routes. It currently has a workforce of 370 people, a fleet of Airbus A320-200s, and will be based at Kuala Lumpur International Airport Terminal 2 (KLIA 2).
Additionally, the company aims to further increase its staff numbers to 500 by the end of this year. MYAirline only has a total of four leased A320-200s aircrafts at this time, but aims to operate a total of 50 planes in the next five years.
It’s also worth noting that a majority of the low-cost carrier’s staff consists of those previously employed by AirAsia, including former AirAsia China president Kathleen Tan and chief operating officer Stuart Cross. Meanwhile, the company CEO himself was formerly AirAsia’s group head for sales and distribution from 2004 to 2019, and had a short tenure of six months with Thai VietJet Air as a commercial advisor in 2020 before forming MYAirline later that year.
Much like its rival, the new airline’s branding uses red as its primary colour, while its aircraft livery pairs red with streaks of grey. In an interview with The Edge, Teo says he likens the situation to Manchester United and Liverpool, two Premier League football clubs and rivals that also dons red as their signature colour.
(Source: The Edge [1] [2] | Images: MYAirline [Facebook])
