Malaysia Airlines - Destinations

Destinations

Before the introduction of the Business Turnaround Plan, Malaysia Airlines operated 118 domestic routes within Malaysia and 114 international routes across six continents. Malaysia Airlines now flies to 87 destinations across six continents from its primary hub in Kuala Lumpur. It has a particularly strong presence in the Southeast Asia region, which, together with its subsidiary MASWings and Firefly, connects Kuala Lumpur to the most destinations in Borneo Island. Apart from that, the airline has a key role in the Kangaroo Route, on which the airline provides onward connecting flights from main European gateways to major Australian and New Zealand gateways via Kuala Lumpur International Airport, within 5 hours. Malaysia Airlines also operates transpacific flights from Kuala Lumpur to Los Angeles International Airport via Tokyo (previously operated via Taipei. Transatlantic flights from Kuala Lumpur to Newark Liberty International Airport via Stockholm-Arlanda Airport (Newark flights had previously also been routed via Dubai International Airport) were ended in October 2009 due to poor passenger loads.

Under the Business Turnaround Plan, numerous routes were axed and frequencies reduced. As of September 2007, Malaysia Airlines flies to 88 destinations. In cooperation with code-share partner airlines, the airline serves more than one hundred destinations worldwide. It was the first airline in Southeast Asia to fly to South Africa, following the demise of apartheid, and the only airline in Southeast Asia that served South America via South Africa until 2012. In 2006, it suspended its routes to Manchester, Vienna, Fukuoka, Chengdu, Nagoya, Xi'an, Cairo, Kolkata, Ahmedabad and Zürich under its Business Turnaround Plan.

Malaysia Airlines also owns its own charter flight division. Malaysia Airlines' charter flights have flown to destinations around the world, such as Guilin, which was previously one of Malaysia Airlines' scheduled destinations, and Christmas Island. Malaysia Airlines has also been the official airline for the Manchester United Asian Tour It also has a substantial Hajj operation.

Malaysia Airlines applied for approval to launch 3 weekly Kota Kinabalu – Tokyo Haneda service with Boeing 737-800, effective 15 November 2010. After receiving regulatory approval, Malaysia Airlines adjusted its Tokyo operations. All Kuala Lumpur – Tokyo traffic departed and arrived in Narita, and Kota Kinabalu – Tokyo traffic operated from/to Haneda. The airline ended operations at Tokyo Haneda Airport on 1 February 2012.

In 2012, it suspended services to Cape Town, Dubai, Johannesburg, Buenos Aires, Rome, Dammam, Karachi and Surabaya due to unprofitability. In addition, the airline also suspended 4 routes from Kota Kinabalu: Tokyo, Osaka, Perth and Seoul (thus ending Kota Kinabalu's status as a hub). The airline, however, maintained its services from Kuala Lumpur to Osaka, Perth, and Seoul.