Malaysia Aviation Group Employees Join Hands to Assist Taal Volcano Eruption Victims

KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA - Media OutReach - 30 January 2020 - In response to an appeal by the Manila Airport Operations Council (AOC) to airlines for support towards its "One for Taal" mission following the recent eruption of Taal Volcano, the Malaysia Aviation Group (MAG) today transported more than 15,000 inflight blankets for victims around the area. MAG has also organised a donation drive among its employees to donate cash or collect essential items which will be channelled via the AOC among the 150,000 people who have been displaced and are now finding shelter at various evacuation centres.

The airline has also reached out to MERCY Malaysia, a local humanitarian organization that provides medical and humanitarian services locally and abroad, to offer them with suitable travel arrangements, either by flying in volunteers or in assisting the transportation of emergency relief items should it be required.

Malaysian Aviation Group Chief Executive Officer, Captain Izham Ismail expressed, "Malaysia Airlines enjoys strong relationship with the airline and airport communities since we began our operations into Manila back in 1974. Our pilots, including myself, attended the Philippine Aviation School which is located near Lake Taal for our first training. Despite being from a foreign country, we were welcomed by the people of Luzon with their warm hospitality during our cadet years. My heart remains close to the people in the community as I know the difficulties they face there daily. With that, similar to our contribution for Australia, I am also pledging a MYR1 contribution from ticket sales of each passenger flown by Malaysia Airlines for the month of January 2020 to be donated to the people of Taal. It is more than just a responsibility to support our fellow ASEAN neighbours in their time of need. This contribution is made possible not without the strong support of Malaysia Airlines' customers who have continued to fly with us over these years. I am also proud of the MAG family who have quickly come together to organise this donation drive, which truly reflects generosity being part of Malaysian Hospitality.

We sincerely hope that our contributions will help ease the burden of the affected communities. Our thoughts and prayers are with them always," added Captain Izham.

Malaysia Airlines flies from Kuala Lumpur to Manila 21 times weekly.

About Malaysia Airlines

Malaysia Airlines is the national carrier of Malaysia, offering the best way to fly to, from and around Malaysia. Malaysia Airlines carries up to 40,000 guests daily on memorable journeys inspired by Malaysia's diverse richness. Malaysia Airlines embodies the incredible diversity of Malaysia, capturing its rich traditions, cultures and cuisines via its inimitable Malaysian Hospitality across all customer touch points.

Since September 2015, the airline has been owned and operated by Malaysia Airlines Berhad. It is part of the Malaysia Aviation Group (MAG), a global aviation organisation that comprises of different aviation business portfolios aimed at serving Malaysian air travel needs. Via our alliance with oneworld®, Malaysia Airlines offers superior connectivity with seamless journeys to 1,000 destinations across 150 plus countries, and access to over 650 airport lounges worldwide. For more information, please visit http://www.malaysiaairlines.com.  

Issued by External & Media Relations/ Corporate Communications, Malaysia Airlines Berhad, Sepang