SEPANG (Nov 15): National carrier Malaysian Airlines Bhd has fully restored its in-flight meal service offerings, complete with beverage offerings, full hot meals, special meals and complete dining ware, effective Wednesday.

In addition, the airline is also introducing enhanced meal offerings and refreshed menus across sectors, as it seeks to elevate the onboard dining experience.  

The full resumption of the in-flight meal services is achieved through partnerships between its parent company Malaysia Aviation Group (MAG) and nine separate third-party meal suppliers, and the establishment of a temporary distribution centre — the MAG Catering Operations (MCAT) — to manage the assembly of food and beverages (F&B) items and the uplifting of meals onboard via hi-lift trucks.

The nine third-party meal suppliers are MAS Awana Sdn Bhd (60%-owned by MAG), Sajian Ambang Sdn Bhd, Syed Food Industry Sdn Bhd, QL Kitchen Sdn Bhd, Fantastic Food Factory Sdn Bhd, AlQina Cuisine, Cosmic Culinary Food Solution, Kopetro (Koperasi Petronas), and Wanmalinja Food Industries Sdn Bhd, which provides the iconic in-flight satay.

MAG group managing director Datuk Captain Izham Ismail said Malaysia Airlines’ catering transition, which took effect on Sept 1 after the decades-old in-flight catering partnership with Brahim’s Holdings Bhd ended on Aug 31, was a “a painful and tough journey” but the group remains steadfast to innovation, safety, and the highest standards of customer satisfaction.

“We acknowledge that there have been shortcomings and loud criticisms during our catering transition journey. Nevertheless, our sights from the onset have been clear and firm in ensuring that customer experience remains at the heart of everything we do, and that they experience as minimal interruptions as possible, while the management team works on a new catering path that ensures a sustainable future for MAG,” Izham said during the launch of the full reinstatement of the in-flight meals service on Wednesday.

He revealed that the new arrangement has resulted in an increase in its catering cost from 2% of its total operational cost during its partnership with Brahim’s, to 2.5% currently, but maintained that it is “worth the investment”.

MAG’s investments into its in-flight catering services include the MCAT, which currently has a fleet of 24 hi-lifts, six freezers, two chillers and two ware wash machines, enabling the airline to self-handle an average of 18,000 meals daily.

However, Izham did not disclose the total amount of the investment.

On the group’s 30%-stake in Brahim’s, Izham said MAG “must move on”, adding that the group is looking into partnering with foreign in-flight catering companies to potentially set up its own catering unit.

On Aug 30, Malaysia Airlines announced that it was ending its long-standing in-flight catering partnership with Brahim’s, after a “thorough and prolonged” negotiation period.

Following that, Malaysia Airlines initiated its contingency plan, which included establishing the MCAT operations at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA), since an immediate transition to another large-scale supplier was not feasible.

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