Malaysia Airlines has launched a new logo and brand campaign, called ‘Fly Malaysia’, aimed at drumming up inbound and domestic travel in support of Visit Malaysia 2020.

Malaysia Aviation Group chief executive officer Izham Ismail said Fly Malaysia served to reiterate Malaysia Airlines as the national icon and to remind Malaysians of its proud history of warm hospitality, The Star reported.

“Fly Malaysia simply means expressing our service through our culture and to always be Malaysian, for Malaysians,” he said

It will also encourage citizens to play a part by participating in the airlines’ social media initiatives in promoting Malaysia. The campaign will be visible via advertisements and the brand’s social media channels until the end of 2020.

The airline’s wau logo will be fashioned with the airline’s iconic kebaya motif and complemented with a traditional batik design, which represents Malaysia’s rich culture, heritage and diversity.

The move will also see the company embarking on more sales campaigns together with its sister airlines, Firefly and MASwings, to encourage Malaysians to travel locally and to connect tourists to Malaysia. The airline also intends to collaborate with state tourism bodies in promoting domestic destinations.

This new marketing push comes as the airlines continues to struggle financially, thanks to a rising competitive environment, aircraft overcapacity and external volatilities including the ongoing trade war between the US and China.

In a much-delayed financial filling, the company reported a reduction in its pre-tax loss by 4% to MYR777m (US$185m) in 2018 as it dealt with intense competition, pilot shortages and volatile fuel and currency movements.

The result was disclosed in financial data lodged with the Companies Commission of Malaysia in September, which also showed that revenue for the year ended December 31st amounted to MYR8.74bn (US$2.08bn), broadly flat compared to the prior year.

The embattled carrier is owned by Malaysia's Khazanah Nasional sovereign wealth fund, which is said to be weighing up a new turnaround plan.

Earlier in the year, Malaysian prime minister Mahathir Mohamad indicated that the government was considering its options for the airline, including potential further investment, a sale or even shutting it down.

Sourced from The Star Online, Marketing Interactive, The Edge Malaysia, Flight Global