Malaysia Airlines Conducts All-Women Operated Flight in Conjunction with International Women’s Day

This also marks the airline’s first flight where the carbon emissions will be offset

KLIA, 6 March 2023: In conjunction with International Women’s Day (IWD), Malaysia Airlines conducted an all-women operated flight on MH2520 from Kuala Lumpur (KUL) to Kuching (KCH) to celebrate and showcase the diverse role women play in contributing to the aviation industry, in line with the theme for IWD to ‘Embrace Equity’. The operations of the flight were overseen by Malaysia Aviation Group (MAG)’s all-women workforce, from the point of check-in to runway taxing and refuelling, and onboard the flight through its cabin crew and flight crew (Captain Noorsazrina Zulkifli and Second Officer Wong Wei Ming). To commemorate the special day, all passengers on MH2520 were given the airline’s signature Pilot Polly plushie. 

Furthermore, in anticipation of the upcoming launch of MAG's passenger carbon offset programme, the airline will also offset the carbon emissions from the IWD flight through the purchase of carbon credits from verified environmental projects via its partnership with CHOOOSE, a provider of climate software solutions for the aviation industry. The project chosen is The Rimba Raya Biodiversity Reserve Project, an initiative by InfiniteEARTH, which aims to reduce Indonesia’s emissions by preserving some 64,000 hectares of tropical peat swamp forest and empower women to play an active role in  community-based forest management while supporting family planning and women’s education .

The flight is part of MAG’s wider sustainability initiative encompassing environmental, social, safety, governance, and economic factors, as it takes quantifiable steps in promoting socio-economic development and achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.  

Group Chief Sustainability Officer of MAG, Philip See, said, “MAG is committed to championing and empowering women to play an active role in achieving their personal career and business goals by cultivating a culture that celebrates inclusivity, diversity and equality in gender, race, religion and age. This is aligned with our commitment to IATA’s 25by2025 initiative in advancing the role of women in aviation, as well as the MAG Sustainability Blueprint which recognises gender equality as a key contributor in promoting socio-economic development. 

What makes the all-women flight extra special is that, as part of the ESG principles, we will also offset the 26.5 tonnes of carbon emissions from the flight by investing in verified carbon offset projects to minimise environmental impacts for a Sustainable Tomorrow. Soon, passengers too will be able to offset carbon emissions from their journey when purchasing tickets through our website via MAG’s partnership with CHOOOSE. This initiative demonstrates that sustainability cannot be solely examined from a narrow environmental standpoint. Rather, it necessitates a holistic approach that encompasses advancing women's participation in technical positions and diminishing income inequality.”

As an extension of the IWD celebrations, MAG also hosted an event to commemorate Women@MAG’s first anniversary. Women@MAG is a working group that was established to drive more women participation in the Group by promoting and fostering diversity, equity, and inclusivity in the workplace. Among the activities held during the event included a keynote speech by YM Tunku Maziah binti Tunku Mukhtar on the topic of ‘Women at Work: The Strength Within’, fireside chat with MAG Board Member, Wong Shu Hsein; Group Chief Financial Officer, Boo Hui Yee and Group Chief Branding and Customer Experience Officer, Lau Yin May.