Malaysia Airlines to Unveil New Name, Logo and Livery Next Month

Malaysia Airlines Bhd (MAB) is set to undergo a brand overhaul that would involve a new name, logo and livery for its aircraft, with the changes to be unveiled next month, sources told The Edge Financial Daily.

It is understood that the changes, which include an overhaul of the design and colour of its livery, are part of a plan to shed a negative image many in the international markets have following the twin tragedies of flights MH370 and MH17 last year.

"MAS will get a fresh new look that will include a new name and logo. The changes are basically to address the negative perception of the brand, especially among international travellers following MH370 and MH17," one source told The Edge Financial Daily.

It was reported in August that MAS, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Khazanah Nasional Bhd, has been working with advertising agency M&C Saatchi Malaysia and brand consultancy Prophet to create a new name, logo and advertising campaign to reintroduce the airline to the world.

The MH370 and MH17 tragedies have damaged the airline's brand, once known for its five-star service and the world's best cabin crew. It is noteworthy that MAS had one of the best safety records in the aviation industry before these tragedies.

MAS' response to the disasters in the weeks that followed the tragedies had fielded criticism from some quarters. In September last year, the airline was also forced to withdraw a promotion that had asked customers to name their "bucket list" of travel destinations.

During his first media conference in June since taking up the job on May 1, MAB chief executive officer Christoph Mueller said that Australia, Europe and China were the three hardest markets in the world to convince that MAS had left its safety problems in the past.

Mueller said a rebranding was on the cards for MAS as part of a plan to reinvent the loss-making airline, promising that the new brand would still revolve around a Malaysian-centric ideal.

Still, consideration of a complete brand makeover began as early as July last year after the back-to-back tragedies of MH370 and MH17. The airline's then commercial director Hugh Dunleavy was reported as telling the United Kingdom's Telegraph that the Malaysian government had started a process of assessing the future shape of MAS' business.