Malaysia launching new airline after 2014 disasters

The Malaysian government is launching a new airline in the wake of a pair of deadly accidents for its main national carrier in 2014, according to multiple media reports. 

The new airline, which has been dubbed FlyMojo, is scheduled to buy 40 airplanes from Montreal, Canada-based airplane manufacturer Bombardier, officials with the latter company said. 

“Bombardier Commercial Aircraft and Fly Mojo Sdn Bhd announced today that the parties have signed a Letter of Intent (LOI) for the sale and purchase of 20 CS100 aircraft with options for an additional 20 CS100 aircraft,” Bombardier said in a statement announcing the deal. 

{mosads}“The announcement was made in parallel with the Government of Malaysia’s announcement at LIMA on a new airline, flymojo, which will be based out of Johor Bahru, Johor and Kota Kinabalu, Sabah,” the Bombardier statement continued. “Upon execution of a firm purchase agreement, flymojo is expected to become the first customer and operator of the CS100aircraft in the region.” 

Malaysia main national airline, Malaysia Airlines, has been reeling after a pair of twin disasters in 2014 that raised questions about the safety of Asian airlines. 

The trouble began when Malaysia Air Flight 370 disappeared from air traffic control radars in March of 2014. The disappearance prompted a months-long multi-national search for the plane, which still has not been found. 

Three months later, Malaysia Air Flight 17 was shot down during a flight over Ukraine in an attack that was believed to be conducted by Russian separatists in the region. 

Malaysian officials have defended the safety of Malaysia Air, and FlyMojo is intended to be a low-cost counterpart to the national airline instead of a replacement, according to reports.