On the 12 October in 1937 Malayan Airways Limited (MAL) was founded but the first paying passengers could be welcomed onboard a plane only 10 years later on the 2 February in 1947. This inaugural flight with only five passengers was bound for Kuala Lumpur instead of Penang. In the same year MAL expanded its network to Jakarta, Medan, Palembang and Saigon still operating from its main hub Singapore.
In 1957 the airline turned into a state-run stock corporation