Malaysia Airlines picks cycling champion Azizulhasni Awang to ride with

Malaysia Airlines’ “Ride together, fly together” challenge has surpassed its initial participation target within its first week, as the airline looks to build brand affinity among sporting and active communities through its MHsports offering.

The Strava-based cycling challenge has attracted 82,533 participants from the United Kingdom, Malaysia and Australia to date, exceeding its original target of 75,000 participants by 10%, Dersenish Aresandiran, chief commercial officer of airline business from Malaysia Aviation Group (MAG), told A+M.

Participants have also collectively clocked more than 3.46 million kilometres, against an initial target of 656,000 kilometres. This represents approximately 527% of the airline’s original distance target, with the challenge set to continue until 28 August 2026.

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According to Aresandiran, the campaign is primarily aimed at building brand affinity and engaging sporting and active communities, including consumers beyond Malaysia Airlines’ existing customer base.

No flight booking or purchase is required to participate, a move intended to make the activation accessible to a broader community of cyclists and fitness enthusiasts.

At the same time, the campaign serves as an introduction to MHsports, Malaysia Airlines’ curated travel offering for sporting communities, with promotional flight codes providing a pathway from campaign engagement to future travel consideration.

“The ‘Ride together, fly together’ Challenge aims to strengthen engagement and brand affinity with sporting and active communities by bringing MHsports to life through an accessible and rewarding experience,” said Aresandiran.

“Through the challenge, we want to encourage active lifestyles while demonstrating how Malaysia Airlines can support sporting journeys both in the air and beyond the destination,” he added.

The airline launched the challenge under MHsports earlier this month, inviting cyclists, fitness enthusiasts and sporting communities to complete at least 6.5 kilometres of eligible cycling activity on Strava for a chance to win an all-expenses-paid cycling experience in Melbourne with Malaysian track cycling champion and MHsports ambassador Dato’ Azizulhasni Awang.

Cycling was selected as a natural extension of the airline’s partnership with Azizulhasni, who has served as MHsports ambassador since July 2025, Aresandiran explained. The campaign also follows the cyclist’s gold medal victory at the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games.

Beyond its connection to Azizulhasni, Malaysia Airlines saw cycling as a way to reach a broad spectrum of consumers, spanning recreational riders and fitness enthusiasts to serious athletes.

As part of the challenge, participants contribute towards a shared distance target, with every eligible kilometre recorded between 7 and 28 August counting towards the community total.

The collective mechanic was designed to reflect the positioning of MHsports around bringing people together through sport, according to Aresandiran, similar to how sporting groups and teams can travel together through the airline’s group booking offering.

Participants who complete the 6.5-kilometre milestone will receive a 15% promotional code and can submit their achievement through the campaign page for a chance to become one of five winners travelling to Melbourne. Verified participants will also receive a separate 10% promotional code for eligible future Malaysia Airlines flights.

The five winners will take part in a cycling programme at the Joe Ciavola Velodrome, also known as DISC Velodrome, including a training observation session, velodrome tour, equipment and technology showcase, WattBike sprint challenge and meet-and-greet with Azizulhasni.

The experience will culminate in a 60.7-kilometre coastal ride with the cyclist from St Kilda to Mount Martha along the Port Phillip Bay coastline.

Aresandiran said Azizulhasni plays a central role in bringing the campaign to life, with the athlete's values of excellence, resilience, discipline and national pride reflecting what MHsports seeks to champion.

Rather than only fronting the campaign, Azizulhasni will engage directly with the five winners in Melbourne, giving participants exposure to elite cycling while connecting the campaign’s sport, travel and community elements.

The campaign is hosted primarily on Strava and supported by a dedicated MHsports Challenge page, allowing Malaysia Airlines to directly reach cycling and fitness communities.

More broadly, MHsports offers sporting communities flexible travel dates, an additional 10kg baggage allowance, complimentary pre-selected seating and advance check-in. Travellers can also pre-book seats and add passengers up to 24 hours before ticket issuance.

For Malaysia Airlines, participation and engagement are among the campaign’s key measures of success, particularly the number of people taking part and the collective distance clocked.

“With the challenge continuing until 28 August 2026, we are encouraged by the strong response from the cycling and active community so far,” said Aresandiran.

“MHsports was created to make travel more accessible and convenient for athletes, sporting teams and active communities, whether they are traveling to compete, train or pursue the sport they love," said Bryan Foong, CEO of airline business from Malaysia Aviation Group (MAG).

He added, "Through this initiative, we hope to inspire more people to stay active while demonstrating how Malaysia Airlines can support their sporting journeys beyond the destination. Together with Azizulhasni Awang, we are giving aspiring cyclists an opportunity to ride alongside one of Malaysia's greatest sporting icons and gain first-hand insight into the world of elite track cycling.”

The sporting activation follows Malaysia Airlines’ efforts to experiment with different ways of engaging travellers beyond its traditional brand storytelling. Earlier this year, the airline took a more playful turn with “Pilot Parker: A story of Malaysian hospitality”, an 80-second brand film that placed its long-time mascot Pilot Parker at the centre of the narrative.

The campaign marked a shift from Malaysia Airlines’ previous “Time for” campaigns towards character-led storytelling. While Pilot Parker had long been part of the airline’s brand ecosystem, the mascot had largely appeared in supporting roles in recent years, including through its Young Explorers merchandise, appearances at events and as an inflight plush toy.

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