The airline’s group chief marketing officer, Lau Yin May, said there has been a growing traction among customers wanting to fly to such destinations as Kota Kinabalu, Langkawi and Penang.

“With this pandemic, a lot of people are avoiding shopping malls. Those are no longer key areas of attraction.

“They prefer beaches and nature, places where they can be by themselves or with their families. Those are the destinations and packages they are booking,” she told a conference featuring a panel of sector leaders organised by the Malaysia Convention and Exhibition Bureau (MyCEB).

Lau said the reopening of domestic travel has allowed the national carrier to begin the process of recovery after flight capacity dropped by as much as 96% during the movement control order period.

“A lot of airlines are declaring bankruptcy, it’s happening everywhere,” she said, adding that Malaysia Airlines has until now been able to retain a good proportion of its staff despite the hit taken by the airline industry.

Reacting to the new demands is key for the airline business to move forward, she said.

“What we learned is there are always ways to work around (problems), let’s not sit and cry over spilt milk. Now is the time to think outside the box and do things that haven’t been done before.”