MOSCOW, July 27 (RIA Novosti) – Malaysia Airlines is planning to take a range of measures, aimed to restore the image of the flag carrier and reshaping the airline strategy following two deadly tragedies over the past six months, The Telegraph reported on Sunday.
“Our major shareholder, the Malaysian government, has already started a process of assessing the future shape of our business and that process will now be speeded up as a result of MH17,” the agency quoted the airline’s commercial director Hugh Dunleavy.
“This tragedy has taught us that despite following the guidelines and advice set out by the governing bodies, the skies above certain territories are simply not safe,” he writes.
“MH17 has shown us that airlines can no longer rely on existing industry bodies for this information,” he elaborated.
The measures, which may be taken in the near future, include changing the name and creating new routes.
A total of 298 people, including 85 children and 15 crew members, died on July 17 as Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777, flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur crashed near the city of Donetsk.
The cause of the tragedy remains unclear and the investigation into the circumstances is still underway.
Ukrainian authorities and independence supporters have been trading blame for the accident with Kiev claiming the plane had been downed by a missile fired from the territory controlled by the militia.
The latter insist they do not have the equipment, which could hit a target, flying this high.
Earlier in March, Malaysian passenger jet MH370 en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing crashed with 227 passengers and 12 crew members on board. A massive international search was launched but the debris of the plane has never been found.
