By Gaurav Raghuvanshi
Malaysian state investment fund Khazanah Nasional Bhd. said
Friday Christoph R. Mueller, chief executive of Aer Lingus Group
PLC, will join Malaysia Airlines as chief executive next year.
Mr. Mueller's term at the Irish national carrier ends May 1,
2015, but Khazanah is in discussions for him to join the
unprofitable Malaysian carrier before that date. He will be
nominated to the Malaysian flag carrier's board Jan. 1 and join as
chief executive after Feb. 28, Khazanah said in a statement.
Khazanah, the majority owner of Malaysian Airline System Bhd.,
is working on a plan to delist the carrier and rename the company
as Malaysia Airlines Bhd. The existing company's shares will be
suspended from trading in Kuala Lumpur on Dec. 15 in preparation
for its delisting.
Malaysia Airlines was already unprofitable when it suffered two
serious aircraft incidents this year that left 537 people either
dead or missing. Flight 370 disappeared in the small hours of March
8 while on a routine flight to Beijing from Kuala Lumpur. Search
crews have yet to find traces of the Boeing Co. 777 jet or the 239
passengers and crew aboard.
On July 17, Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashed in eastern
Ukraine, killing all 298 passengers and crew aboard. Investigators
believe that the plane, also a Boeing 777, was brought down by a
surface-to-air missile.
Mr. Mueller, a German citizen, has been the chief executive of
Aer Lingus since 2009, Khazanah said. He brings more than 25 years
of experience in the aviation, logistics and tourism sectors to
Malaysia Airlines, it said, adding that Mr. Mueller helped Aer
Lingus turn around within a year of joining the carrier as chief
executive.
Khazanah also announced key appointments at the airline's
Corporate Reskilling Centre, which will help retrenched Malaysia
Airlines employees retrain and seek employment. As part the
restructuring at Malaysia Airlines, Khazanah expects to shed a
third of the airline's nearly 20,000 staff. Khazanah has promised
to train the employees who will be retrenched.
Bashir Ahmad Abdul Majid has been appointed as chairman of the
Corporate Reskilling Centre, while Shahryn Azmi will be chief
executive of the facility, which will be launched by April 1.
Mr. Bashir, who is an adviser at Malaysia Airports Holdings
Bhd., will retain his advisory role with the nation's airport
operator, where he served as managing director for 11 years,
Khazanah said.
Write to Gaurav Raghuvanshi at gaurav.raghuvanshi@wsj.com
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