KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia Airlines Berhad's (MAB) Chief Executive and Managing Director Christoph Mueller will leave in September, well before the end of his three-year contract, the company said on Tuesday.
The airline said in a statement Mueller was leaving because of "his changing personal circumstances".
Mueller will serve a six-month notice period to September 2016 and has expressed his intention to the MAB board to remain as a non-executive director, the carrier said.
"We are very disappointed to lose Christoph as CEO but we fully understand his reasons and respect his need to do this," MAB Chairman Md Nor Yusof said.
MAB has begun a search for a new CEO and is considering both internal and external candidates, it said.
Mueller formally took charge in May last year to lead restructuring efforts at the airline formerly known as Malaysia Airlines Systems (MAS).
Malaysia state investor Khazanah took MAS private in 2014 as part of a 6 billion Malaysian ringgit ($1.55 billion) restructuring aimed at returning the carrier to profit within three years.
MAS suffered twin disasters in 2014 after flight MH370, which was carrying 239 passengers and crew, disappeared in March. In July 2014 another flight, MH17, was shot down over eastern Ukraine, killing all 298 people on board.
Malaysia Airlines CEO to leave in September
Malaysia Airlines CEO to leave in September
Saudi Arabia’s construction costs see 1% annual rise in November: GASTAT
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s construction costs rose at a steady pace in November, signaling resilience in the sector as the Kingdom continues to manage rising labor and energy expenses.
The Construction Cost Index climbed to 101.75 points in November, up 1 percent from a year earlier and broadly unchanged from October, according to data from the General Authority for Statistics.
The steady momentum in Saudi Arabia’s construction sector aligns with a broader trend across the Gulf Cooperation Council, as regional economies push to diversify away from hydrocarbons.
In July, real estate consultancy Knight Frank said Saudi Arabia’s construction output value is expected to reach $191 billion by 2029, representing a 29.05 percent increase from 2024, driven by residential development, ongoing giga-projects and rising demand for office space.
In its latest report, GASTAT stated: “The CCI recorded a 1 percent increase in November 2025, maintaining the same growth rate observed in October 2025. This increase is mainly attributed to a 1 percent rise in construction costs for the residential sector and a 1 percent rise in construction costs for the non-residential sector.”
In the residential sector, labor costs rose 1.5 percent year on year in November, while equipment and machinery rental costs increased 1.3 percent over the same period.
Energy prices recorded a sharp increase of 9.9 percent compared with November 2024.
Basic material costs edged up 0.2 percent, driven by a 1.4 percent rise in cement and concrete prices and a 1.1 percent increase in raw material costs.
In the non-residential sector, the Construction Cost Index increased 1 percent year on year in November, mainly due to a 1.2 percent rise in equipment and machinery rental costs.
Labor costs increased 1.1 percent, while energy prices continued their upward trend, rising 9.9 percent over the year.
Basic material costs rose 0.3 percent, reflecting a 2.5 percent increase in wood and carpentry prices and a 1.4 percent rise in raw material costs.
The Construction Cost Index tracks changes in construction input costs across 51 items, with prices collected monthly from 13 regions through field surveys of contractors, engineering offices and construction material suppliers. The base year is 2023, and the index is published monthly.
