Malaysia Airlines pilots adapting to new working life

If it were not for the Covid-19 pandemic, Nabil Akid Abdul Mutalib would have been living his dream to become a pilot.

The 27-year-old was among those who were recruited by Malaysia Airlines earlier this year and became a cadet pilot.

But the pandemic cut short his ambition as flights were grounded due to the closure of international borders, as well as the overall lack of flights worldwide.

“I felt like my dreams were shattered, to be honest.

“But the people around me, including my family, supported me through this tough period. They comforted me and told me it was just a matter of time before I will eventually fly,” Nabil said during a special interview with the press through Microsoft Meet recently.

Despite his world changing this year, he was determined to keep himself active at Malaysia Airlines and decided to join MH EDGILE, an upskilling and reskilling programme initiated by the company.

For the past six weeks, Nabil has been working as a Revenue Management business analyst.

When talking about his background, he said he had completed his studies in Computer Science before embarking on a career in aviation.

Despite having no work experience or knowledge in the business field, it did not stop him from his new foray.

“I’ve managed to cope with the transition. Each of the companies have different systems, so I have to learn them quickly for the job,” he said.

Mark Yugendran Thambyrajah, 50, is among a group of pilots who joined the MH EDGILE programme as well.

With over 30 years experience with the airline, it was a challenge for him to take up his new duty under Human Capital.

His job scope included working as a trainer for new staff, and among his responsibilities are to motivate them to serve the company better.

“We have dedicated our entire lives to the aviation industry, and we understand that if there are no flights, there will be no jobs. Now, my job has shifted to take care of the staff internally,” he added.

The jobs of about 2,000 Malaysia Airlines staff, with a large number of them being pilots and cabin crew, were affected during the pandemic. Nst