Malaysia Airlines set to rebrand following “tragic events of 2014”

Malaysia Airlines, which hit headlines last year when one of its planes disappeared and another was shot down over Ukraine, is reportedly set to rebrand.

The BBC reports that the airline is set to rebrand in September.

The announcement came from the company’s newly appointed CEO Christoph Mueller in a news conference this week. Mueller added that the airline is “technically bankrupt” and will have to shed 6,000 jobs.

Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 went missing with 239 passengers and crew in March last year, and has not yet been found. Flight MH17 was then shot down over Ukraine while travelling from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur in July, with the loss of all 298 passengers and crew on board.

“The decline of performance started long before the tragic events of 2014,” Mueller says.

The company has made a financial loss every year since 2011, but the two incidents have further impacted on its revenue, Malaysia Airlines says.

The company saw a loss of 307 million Malaysian ringgit (£54.2 million) in the second financial quarter of 2014, between March and June. The carrier’s loss for the first half of the year stood at 750 million ringgit (£132.4 million), which was 65% more than the same period in 2013.

Mueller has not yet confirmed whether a rebrand would mean a change in name or logo. “All constellations are open,” he said.

The company’s rebranding is due to be announced on 1 September.