The union representing Malaysia Airlines employees is calling for the resignation of the airline’s chief executive, saying that new management is needed to revive the beleaguered flag carrier, the Associated Press reported yesterday. The union’s secretary, Mohamad Jabbarullah Abdul Kadir, said yesterday that the state-owned airline has been mired in losses for four straight years and is now grappling with the aftermath of the Flight 370 tragedy. The jet disappeared on March 8 with 239 people on board. He said that the government and airline have done their best in handling the tragedy, but CEO Ahmad Jauhari Yahya and his team have failed to show leadership in charting the airline’s future. Mohamad Jabbarullah said that staff frustration was not solely due to the plane crisis, but had built up over the years because of management’s failure to engage employees and address internal problems. Bankruptcy isn’t an option for the airline, which has 19,500 staff worldwide, he said. The union’s demand will add to pressures on Malaysia Airlines, which is already struggling to repair its image after Flight 370 vanished en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing.
