14. The Malaysian Aviation Companies’ Responsiveness Plan in Mitigating the COVID-19 Crisis

The COVID-19 pandemic which has affected worldwide economic shutdown with the risk of recession in some way offers an opportunity for Malaysia to reset its aviation industry and become profitable. The government has emphasized the importance of restructuring as the industry is wringing badly, which, in turn, may lead to a collapse and requires a broader discussion of Malaysia’s overall national aviation strategy. With the implementation of the Movement Control Order by the Malaysian government, this paper aims to investigate the extent of responsiveness plans and actions undertaken by three Malaysian aviation companies in battling the COVID-19 pandemic. The analysis includes the examination of online news which was captured from a Google search from a period 18 March to early October 2020. There were 82 online news captured involving three aviation companies, i.e., AirAsia, Malaysian Airline System, and Malindo. Several responsiveness plans have been revealed in the online news, i.e., capacity management, preventive measures, talent management, and financial recovery plans. Some strategies are compiled to improve the aviation industry.