It's been awhile that this blog posted anything about airlines since Khazanah announced their yet another turnaround plan. Since there have been many development since, might as well write all the happenings together as to update.
Despite the two aircrashes during training by the Indonesian stunt team [read Rakyat Post here], LIMA 2015 began today. This is the first LIMA for Defense Minister, Dato Hishamuddin Hussein Onn.
He claimed this year's LIMA will be the best ever. [Read MMO here]. He is not kidding because Dato Najib repeated the same claim [read Bernama here].
Words are he has been flying UMNO Division Heads over to Pulau Langkawi. Maybe he is just being thoughtful to give Division Heads exposure on the biggest ever LIMA. It is an industry convention which serve to put all the players - military and civil, aviation and maritime - together.
Though Malaysia is not shopping, more than RM9 billion of deals inked. [Read NST here].
Talk along PWTC is that Hishamuddin started his Deputy President campaign for next year's party election.
Customarily, there will be rumours of money being allegedly splurged to convert supporters of competitor, Dato Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi. But, there is no way of confirming and such allegations seemed presumptous.
One exco Pemuda UMNO, Armand defended Hishamuddin from such rumours. Armand is a PJ Utara UMNO member, former Wira Perkasa chief and widely believed to be Khaliry's boys. Does that mean it will be a Hishamuddin-KJ tagteam?
Rumours are Mukhriz boys started campaigning too. There have been this political hypothesis that after the RAHMAN plan, the UMNO succession plan will follow their respective fathers. The tagteam could be Hishamuddin-Mukhriz first and later Mukhriz-Khairy.
Anyway, heard there was some unhappy faces among the Division Heads after their ride on a Charlie cargo transport plane to Langkawi. For one, the Sabah Division Heads didn't appreciate the over 5 hours flight.
There is also complain from a former aides to Hishamuddin who question as to why must it only be Division heads? Why not the pakciks and makciks? Dato Mark ...TST tahu sama tahu la...
Maritime Silk Road
Alas, most of the UMNO Division Heads will only appreciate the air shows and not so much the pre-LIMA military conference or industry exhibitions.
For this year, the media is promoting the all women air stunt show from China as the attraction. [read in The Star here]. Media usually promote what the organiser suggest.
If that is so, Hishamuddin's remark as host at the defence conference is quite shocking. It is a change from his statement at ASEAN defense summit in Yangoon. The Star reported below:
He is asking China to come clean on the Maritime Silk Road planned by China for the region. What does he mean by using the term "come clean"? How does the tone of his statement when he mentioned it?
In the international scene, aren't we supposed to analyse every move by our neighbour? It seemed like we are not doing our homework by asking China for answers. If that is not the case, Hishamuddin statement is giving a warning to China. [Read the Star report in full here.]
This blog can see what the MSR is about and had written it here. Unless Malaysia is at war with China, such words from the Minister of Defense is inappropriate.
The matter is the concern of the Foreign Ministry. Quite sure Foreign Ministry done their analysis in which it is within their purview. In January 2015, Malaysia expressed our support for MSR and Transport Minister, Dato Liow Tiong Lai said Malaysia's recommendation was incorporated in the MSR [read The Star here and here].
How could the survey-endorsed future Prime Minister not do his homework? It sounds like a familiar incident. Did Hishamuddin refer to Taiwan or Japan to determine MINDEF position on MSR?
Maybe he is the future PM because he could override cabinet policy and determine government policies spontaneously.
Turnaround and round
While writing this posting, the TV afternoon news reported the CEO for MAS Newco, Christophe Mueller is due to join in May 1st. [read MMO here].
Everyone in MAS knows Khazanah management had set end of March to serve the termination letters together with offer letters for MAS Newco for the selected staff. Most long serving staff are eager to leave the company in which management have no appreciation for their human resource and expect workload for newco to be impossible.
It sounded like the same mistake that Khazanah did when bringing in Ahmad Jauhari as CEO when Tan Sri Azman Mokhtar, and Dato Danny Yusof that did the collaboration with Air Asia. They conveniently executed the plan but it was left to AJ to operate and take the responsibility for the success and failure for the same duo that put the failed WAU.
Despite one cabin crew said passengers told her that Mueller failed in his turnaround at Sabena and Aer Lingus, no Mat Salleh would want to be told what to do in that manner. Rumours are saying Mueller was not happy with the turnaround plan put together by Khazanah and one young female officer planning the routes for MAS.
He must have disagreed with retrenchment plan of 6,000 staff and absorb the remaining. Such resistance can only be expected to come from someone with operational experience. The 6,000 number must have came up from Microsoft Excel simulation of a former Investment Banker .
Over heard from MCOBA boys of Amokh batch that he confide not knowing what to do any more with MAS. This blog have been saying the same all these years.
Heard Amokh gave assurance to one cabin crew that jobs for critical area in an airline namely; pilot, cabin crew and engineering are safe. How could he say so when he intend to outsource engineering like Airasia, and cut more route suspiciously for Airasia?
Does his turnaround plan has a revenue generating and marketing plan? Or MAS future business is a RM6 billion property development in Subang?
It was only three weeks ago that Amokh told MAS staff in a townhall meeting that the turnaround plan is moving smoothly. Yesterday (Friday) a new announcement said the issuance of the termination letter for MAS employee will be delayed to June 1st and Newco will hire in September [read The Star here].
Looks like another turnaround failure and the common factor is Amokh.
Not too good
If things at MAS is looking as though Khazanah people don't know WTF they are doing, it is not looking good for Airasia too.
There was rumours that Tan Sri Tony Fernandez will announced Airasia Phillipines for IPO on March 16 [read The Star here]. However, a commentator left two comments this morning on the situation in Airasia:
In the latest announcement from Airasia, Tony planned to sell USD2 billion worth of aircraft [read FMT here and MMO here].
Things have not been too good for Airasia since the crash of Air Asia Indonesia. When lives are lost, this blog does not take it lightly. We express our condolence to Airasia when it happened. Honest ... see it here.
Since the dreadful two crashes of MAS and despite it being Airasia Indonesia, it is still a part of Malaysia's Airasia, this blog refrained from commenting about airlines. It leaves a poor aftertaste to comments any more on Malaysian civil aviation. Something we dreaded to happen, happened.
In the midst of the aftermath of safety issues, commentors alerted that this blog was sued by Airasia and there was bankruptsy proceeding against a person claimed to be the blogger. As far as the writer or writers of this blog (there is more than one contributor) is/are concerned, there was no writ of summon served.
Pity the fella to be bankrupted. Must have been the result of him being accused the same by a PAS politician and a former Reformasi ativist.
The posting was made in the midst of GE13 campaign and it came from an airline source. Without sufficient time to check, the posting used a poser as a title. But comments came in to tell that it was a fake.
And when found to be a prank, this blog admitted it was a prank and ate humble pie in the subsequent posting.
The contributing blogger erred for not stating an apology. It is too late to do so and not legally relevent but on behalf of the writer, WE APOLOGISE to Airasia. Thus, it is only fair we take down all these postings.
Hope there is sympathy on the innocent chap. No individual is as lucky as Rafizi to be able to have cool cash of RM2 million after merely 6 years as Petronas officer. Airasia may have not realised that the writer admitted of being wrong in the subsequent posting.
Nevertheless, one blogger Gmie Wakening here appreciated the posting. He claimed Airasia had frequent occurance of safety and technical issues. There was even a technical problem on March 10 recently as reported by Australian ABC News.
Surely nobody wants a crash, right?
* Edited: 22/3 9:30 AM