Malaysia Airlines is now operating a twice-daily service
between London Heathrow and Kuala Lumpur, restoring its pre-Covid schedule
between the cities.
The airline previously increased capacity between the two
nations to 11 flights per week when Malaysia
removed key entry restrictions at the end of March. Flights are operated by A350-900 aircraft, which have been deployed on the London route since 2018.
“Demand from the UK has been staggering. June surpassed all
expectations,” said Daniel
Bainbridge, UK and Europe regional director at Malaysia Airlines, at the recent Business Travel Show Europe. “We’ve
seen a mix of leisure and corporate traffic, but corporate has really picked up
since Easter. TMC business has gone from almost nothing to very significant in
the last month.”
Commenting on rising travel costs across the industry,
Bainbridge said the airline’s “fare levels are commercially robust”.
He continued: “People leaving it late to book could be in
for a surprise. As soon as you know your travel dates, book them. We have 33
seats in business class and if you try and get one in July it could be
difficult.”
Bainbridge added that the airline’s connecting traffic has been
“phenomenal” with a “significant proportion” of passengers flying from London
to Kuala Lumpur connecting to the carrier’s flights across South East Asia and with
its services to six points in Australia.
Part of the surge, he added, can be attributed to British
Airways not returning to the route and reducing its overall Asia capacity.
The airline recently returned to Heathrow’s Terminal 4 when
it reopened
following a two-year closure due to the Covid-19 pandemic.