KUALA LUMPUR: The 26-year partnership between Malaysia Airlines Bhd and its in-flight caterer Brahim's Food Services Sdn Bhd (BFS) will finally come to an end.
Malaysia Aviation Group (MAG), the parent company of Malaysia Airlines, said it will start serving in-flight meals onboard certain routes from Sept 1 following the end of its contract extension with BFS on Aug 31.
"During this transition, Malaysia Airlines will be serving the impacted routes with alternative in-flight food and beverages (F&B), ensuring seamless operations while minimising any potential impact on customer comfort and experience," MAG said in a statement today.
The group added that other remaining routes will continue to be served by its current in-flight provider, Pos Aviation Sdn Bhd.
Following the end of the contract with BFS, Malaysia Airlines will activate its Business Continuity Plan (BCP) for in-flight meal services on its selected domestic and international routes.
MAG said the group has carefully planned for self-catering operations involving the sourcing of pre-packed meal items and F&B supplies from various providers, including its lounge operator MAS Awana.
The group's ground handling company, AeroDarat Services, will be managing the in-flight meal uplift process onboard the aircraft.
"To facilitate this, a temporary distribution centre has been established at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA), in accordance with safety standards set by the Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia (CAAM) and the Ministry of Health," MAG said.
On Aug 23, the New Straits Times (NST) reported that Malaysia Airlines is believed to have already activated its BCP to offer alternative F&B options on flights by setting up temporary distribution centre in the compounds of KLIA.
The NST had first reported on June 15 that BFS and Malaysia Airlines were ready to put an end to their turbulent 26-year partnership due to a disagreement in their new contract.
The disagreement was due to the "termination for convenience" clause that the national carrier had added into the agreement.
On June 25, the Ministry of Finance stepped in to patch the rift between Malaysia Airlines and BFS by asking them to extend the contract for another two months after June 30 for further negotiations.
On July 3, MAG told the NST that it had received an agreement from BFS on June 28 to extend their services for another two months.