Executives said the message to the pilots indicated that the secondment was part of the network rationalisation plan, which involves capacity cuts and suspension of flights to select destinations. It has been said that changes would impact manpower requirements. (During better times: A 2011 file pic shows 12 new MAS cadet pilots, sponsored by MARA, at the Asia Pacific Flight Training Centre at the Sultan Ismail Petra Airport, Kelantan.)
PETALING JAYA: Just when many pilots thought they had secured long-term employment with the new Malaysia Airlines Bhd (MAB), they were alerted by email informing them that a secondment exercise was on the cards.
Some preliminary figures being bandied about say the secondment could involve up to 400 pilots, although the figures could not be verified.
The secondment exercise is to cater to MAB being a smaller entity than Malaysia Airlines (MAS) before it grows.
In line with this strategy, route cuts and flight suspensions are under way. The number of crew members will also be reduced significantly.
It is learnt that the secondment exercise is being hammered out for the pilots to be placed with airlines such as China Airlines, Saudi Arabian Airlines, Qatar Airways and Korean Airlines.
“We were given hope that we would stay in the new company and work from here. Why give hope and then dash it?” asked an executive.
Executives said the message to the pilots indicated that the secondment was part of the network rationalisation plan, which involves capacity cuts and suspension of flights to select destinations.
It has been said that changes would impact manpower requirements.
It is seen as an interim measure to address the surplus of crew, and the secondment of pilots will be over a fixed duration. This is to give MAB time to get into a growth phase before taking the pilots back later.
However, the executives feel that this was one way of letting go of the pilots without paying hefty compensations.
“Now, if the pilots don’t accept the secondment and opt to leave, there is no compensation to be paid,” said the executive.
As it is, MAS has 1,466 pilots and it is said that only 25 were laid off during June 1’s massive job cut plan, where 6,000 staff members were laid off.
The new airline will be smaller than the existing MAS, whose operations will be taken over by MAB on Sept 1.
MAS has been suspending flights and cutting frequencies to cut cost as it may not be profiting from some destinations due to several factors, including competition.
Thus far, it has suspended flights to Frankfurt, Kunming, Coachin and Krabi.
In August, it is likely to axe its Brisbane, Male and Istanbul routes.
The executives said that by Sept 1, it would also axe one of its two Kuala Lumpur-New Delhi flights and operate smaller Boeing 737 aircraft on its two Mumbai flights.
For its Australian flights, it will be reducing frequencies to Melbourne, Sydney, Perth and Adelaide. For Melbourne and Sydney, it is likely to be reduced from three times daily to twice.
For its Paris flight, meanwhile, there is talk that the A380 will be replaced by the B777 in mid-August.
Elsewhere, it would cut frequencies to Medan, Guangzhou, Ho Chi Minh City, Hong Kong, Manila, Siem Reap, Taipei, Yangon, Jakarta, Tokyo and Shanghai, they said.
Going by all the cuts, MAB will largely focus on flying regional routes, with some flights to Europe, the Middle East and South Asia.
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