KUALA LUMPUR (Jan 2): Two senior executives at Malaysia Aviation Group Bhd (MAG), the parent company of national carrier Malaysia Airlines Bhd, have resigned in a surprise move, sources told The Edge.

They are MAG's chief executive officer of airlines Ahmad Luqman Mohd Azmi and group chief branding and customer experience officer Lau Yin May.

Sources close to MAG said Ahmad Luqman and Lau will be leaving the airline group for personal reasons, effective Feb 1 and Feb 26 respectively.

Their replacements have yet to be named, they said.

When contacted, Ahmad Luqman confirmed he will be leaving MAG at the end of this month.

"(I will be) taking up new opportunities outside MAG," he told The Edge late Thursday evening. He did not elaborate.

A MAG spokesperson responded to a request for comment by stating that the company would share more information in due course.

Ahmad Luqman's resignation was particularly unexpected as he was seen as one of the senior executives being groomed for the top job at MAG.

MAG's website said he is an internally grown talent who started his career with Malaysia Airlines as a management trainee over 20 years ago.

He was appointed to his most recent role in January 2023, having previously served as the group chief operations officer of Malaysia Airlines since February 2018.

Before that, in 2015, he was the CEO of MAB Kargo Sdn Bhd (MASkargo), MAG’s cargo subsidiary. During his time there, he led a transformation programme that improved its financial performance and air cargo service delivery, and strengthened its position as a leading air cargo carrier in Malaysia. He also oversaw MASkargo's digital transformation to capitalise on the growth of e-commerce in the region.   

Lau joined the group in 2004, focusing on project management and turnaround initiatives. She was a founding member of Firefly and oversaw the establishment of its travel division, Firefly Holidays.

She joined Malaysia Airlines in May 2018 as head of customer experience, bringing with her more than 17 years of working experience. She was appointed to her current role in April 2019 to oversee the newly streamlined division in MAG.

Ahmad Luqman and Lau's departures come as MAG faces issues with its jets.

In recent months, the group has experienced multiple technical problems, leading to flight cancellations and diversions, which has drawn unwanted attention.

Even though it is sitting on RM4 billion in cash, MAG has not been able to ramp up its operations quickly by buying new jets as manufacturers such as Airbus and Boeing struggle to produce their planes fast enough to meet continued strong demand in the market and persistent supply chain snags.

Aviation experts are predicting that supply chain troubles will likely persist in 2025.