Nearly 200 staff have quit Malaysia Airlines

BREAKING NEWS: Malaysia Airlines announced 6,000 job cuts

Nearly 200 cabin crew staff have resigned from Malaysia Airlines (MAS) this year, following the twin tragedies of the loss of MH370 in March and the shooting down of flight MH17 over Ukraine in July.

The national carrier confirmed there has been an increase in the number of resignations since both disasters - an outcome which has caused crew shortages for the airline.

In a statement, MAS said outgoing staff cited multiple reasons for their resignations.

"Following the MH17 incident, there was a spike in crew resignations but the number has now decreased to acceptable and routinely expected levels," it said.

"Many cited 'family pressure' as the reason for their resignation due to the MH17 and MH370 tragedies."

READ MORE: Malaysia Airlines staff "affected mentally" by double tragedy

Abdul Malek Ariff, secretary-general of the employees union, also told AFP said some crew members "are now are afraid to fly". He also was quoted by the Edge Financial daily as saying crew shortages were forcing staff to work up to 12 hours a day.

The union represents about 8,000 of Malaysia Airlines' 19,500-strong workforce.

To revamp the carrier and turn around finances after a fifth straight quarterly loss, the airline is being taken private by sovereign wealth fund Khazanah Nasional. It is expected to announce a series of restructuring measures this week.

READ MORE: Malaysia Airlines union calls for CEO to resign

In a press release, MAS said members of the leadership team had met with representatives of its employee unions and other associations as "the first step to inform and engage employees on the future restructuring of Malaysia Airlines."

"This is going to be a long process which will require all parties to come together if the restructuring is to succeed," it said. "While there are still many details about the future which will be forthcoming, Malaysia Airlines is committed to working closely with all its employees and airline partners throughout this process following the principles of fairness, transparency and compassion."

Image: Shutterstock