In the year 1947, the Malayan Airways Limited (MAL) was established with an initial fleet of twin-engined Airspeed Consuls. The first scheduled Malayan Airways flight took place in May 1947 with an Airspeed Consul aircraft carrying five passengers onboard. Passengers helped themselves with the only refreshment made available for the passengers: a flask of iced water. Malayan Airways offered services between Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Ipoh, and Penang.
In 1963, it was renamed Malaysian Airways Limited with the formation of the Federation of Malaysia in 1963. In 1966, the Government of Malaysia and the Government of Singapore jointly acquired controlling stakes in the airline and renamed it a year later as Malaysia-Singapore Airlines (MSA) Limited when Singapore separated from the Federation of Malaysia.
In January 1971, the Government of Malaysia and the Government of Singapore decided to break up Malaysia-Singapore Airlines (MSA) and start separate state airlines. Malaysia-Singapore Airlines ceased operations on 1-Oct-1972 and was succeeded by Singapore-based Singapore Airlines (SIA) and Kuala Lumpur-based Malaysia Airlines System (MAS).
.jpg "'Flying High in a Competitive Industry: Secrets of the World's Leading Airline' by Loizos Heracleous, Jochen Wirtz, Nitin Pangarkar (ISBN 0071281967)")
Recommended Reading: ‘Flying High in a Competitive Industry: Secrets of the World’s Leading Airline’ by Loizos Heracleous, Jochen Wirtz, Nitin Pangarkar. ‘Flying High’ chronicles how the very inventive management grew from the airline from the humblest of beginnings into an industry leader. Singapore Airlines (SIA) is now arguably the most respected airline in the world, one of the most admired companies in the world, and frequently wins international awards for top-flight quality and service.