“Experience in transport isn’t enough. To head an airline, one must not only be a competent manager — he must also know the business of airline operations.
“Aviation is a complex matter. There’s the law, the international market… you must know how to compete,” Abdul Aziz said in an interview with FMT.
“If you’re going to run a 100m race, you must already be a runner.”
Abdul Aziz was commenting on speculation that Mass Rapid Transit Corp (MRT Corp) CEO Shahril Mokhtar is a likely front-runner for Mueller’s position, which will be vacated in September.
“I won’t say very much about him because I don’t know him.
“All I can say is that if you want to head an airline, you must know the business and about the competition,” Abdul Aziz said.
Shahril is highly anticipated to helm the airline due to his experience in Malaysia’s transport industry, having been group managing director of Prasarana Malaysia Bhd from 2010 until 2014 before moving on to MRT Corp in January last year.
The 43-year-old was in the aviation industry as a general manager at Penerbangan Malaysia Bhd (PMB), from January 2002 to May 2006.
Prior to that, Shahril was chief operating officer of Public Land Transport Commission (SPAD) from January 2010 until October 2010. He was also seconded as an adviser to the Economic Planning Unit in the Prime Minister’s Department where he was involved in drafting the SPAD Act 2010 and the Land Public Transportation Act 2010.
Experience in international aviation, Abdul Aziz said, was the key.
“It’s quite complex. That is, if you want to be a leader.
“If you want to go in and follow what people are doing, then it’s okay,” Abdul Aziz commented.
“You must be competent to lead. Especially now in the context of the aviation industry… Now, they have the open skies regime.
“You go and ask these people. I think some of them know nothing,” he said, in a sharp criticism of the decision behind the hiring of Mueller and the 15 other senior management officers.
“They (the management) are in the airline and that’s why the airline isn’t doing well.”
The open skies regime, or the Treaty on Open Skies, is a treaty that establishes a programme of unarmed aerial surveillance flights over the entire territory of 34 state parties globally.