The international market, however, will likely take much longer to fully recover, said Malaysia Airlines group chief operations officer Ahmad Luqman Mohd Azmi.

“The restart will begin in the fourth quarter of this year and (the local aviation industry) will return to its pre-pandemic level roughly in 2022 if the situation improves.

“We are looking at mid-2023 or early 2024 for full recovery for the international market,” he told a virtual media briefing organised by Malaysia Airlines and the Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia today.

The national carrier is currently serving approximately 1,000 passengers per day compared to the pre-pandemic level of 38,000 passengers daily in 2019, and handling 1,700 pieces of baggage daily versus 36,000 pieces previously.

Meanwhile, Luqman said the airline was set to implement its Long Term Business Plan 2.0, taking into consideration some recovery scenarios.

With regard to plans for Firefly’s resumption of jet operations, he said the official restart will be in the early first quarter of next year, subject to the recovery in the domestic market.

He said Malaysia Airlines was still operating long-haul flights to destinations such as the UK, Australia, South Korea, Japan, China and several Asean cities, although on a reduced frequency.