Malaysia Airlines seeks Indian partnerships to boost routes amid rising fuel costs

Malaysia Airlines operates 80 weekly flights to India and aims to increase frequencies, but bilateral agreements limit additional slots. Rising fuel prices have pushed fuel to 55% of total costs, leading the carrier to reduce capacity by 5% and raise ticket prices by 20% while hedging 36% of fuel for 2026. CEO Nasruddin A Bakar said partnerships—both with airlines like IndiGo and with non-airline firms such as MROs or tech companies—are essential for growth.

The airline’s codeshare network already gives access to over 1,000 destinations worldwide. Indian passengers accounted for roughly one million of the 10.6 million total in the first half of the year, with leisure travel up 13%, corporate demand up 40% and VFR travel up 24%. Bakar emphasized the high 91% load factor on Indian routes and the need for more slots and frequencies, which are being discussed with government agencies.