Member Article

Malaysia Airlines’ brand declining amidst new investigation into NUFC fan deaths

Malaysia Airlines’ brand is facing further decline following the launch of a new investigation into the MH17 plane crash, which killed two Newcastle United fans.

Last month the airline reported quarterly losses of £58.3 million (307 million Malaysian Ringgit), almost doubling the quarter’s losses in 2013 of £33.4 million (176 million Malaysian Ringgit), on the back of the MH17 and MH30 plane disasters.

German private investigation firm, Wifka, have now been charged with investigating the shoot down of Malaysian Airlines flight MH17, whereby Newcastle United fans John Alder and Liam Sweeney, as well as 296 innocent people, lost their lives.

An anonymous benefactor is providing £18 million ($30 million) as a reward for information and evidence in regards to the plane crash occurring on July 17.

Malaysia Airlines has been on the verge of collapse after the two plane disasters, MH30 and MH17, put the company in a negative global spotlight.

A restructuring plan was revealed last month, after the country’s sovereign wealth fund Khazanah, pledged to pump $1.9 billion into the airline over the next three years.

The airline has already cut around 30% of its workforce this year by making 6,000 staff redundancies.

However, with reported net losses of $2.6 billion from the period 2001 to 2014, combined with damage to the company as an attractive consumer brand following the plane disasters, the question is will the cash injection be enough to restore Malaysia Airlines’ credibility, image and prosperity?

The new MH17 investigation is quickly attracting global intrigue due to the high profile reward, an amount surpassing the $25 million offered by the US government for information on Osama Bin Laden, which will only add more negative publicity for the airline.

The reward, which is securely deposited in Zurich, Switzerland, will be given to whoever can provide evidence identifying those culpable for the MH17 crash

WIfka is reportedly investigating: who shot down MH17, who gave the order, the purpose behind the shooting, whether the incident was accidental or not, who can provide details of the circumstances, who was directly involved in the shoot down, what happened to the people involved and what happened to the weapon involved, having posed the questions on their website.

Meanwhile the official investigation remains ongoing with the cause, or reason for the attack on MH17, remaining unknown.

A minute’s silence was held at St. James’ Park on 17 August, ahead of Newcastle’s opening Premier League game against Manchester City, to commemorate the loss of the two fans.