After flights MH370 and MH17: Can Poh Ling Yeow help Malaysia Airlines make a comeback?

Yet Malaysia Airlines has no choice but to keep flying, and trust that travellers will trust them back.

"MH370 and MH17 were awful tragedies and we will still remember them, but we must also move on," reflects Mr PK Lee, regional senior vice-president of Malaysia Airlines.

Lee says that bookings from Australian passengers have climbed back to their previous levels and Australia could play a key role in helping Malaysia Airlines turn its fortunes around.

"The contribution from Australia to the UK and European long-haul market is very important to MAS, and we need that Kangaroo Route to continue to grow" Lee tells Fairfax Traveller on a tour of the airline's base in Kuala Lumpur.

Australia is the airline's largest market outside of Malaysia, with 84 weekly flights in and out of all capital cities except Hobart and Canberra.

This also made the airline especially vulnerable to downturns among Aussie travellers in the weeks following MH370 and MH17.

Flight Centre Australia general manager Greg Parker recalls there was a "fairly quick rebound" after MH370, despite an early slowdown as uncertainty over the incidence continued.

In the wake of the loss of MH17 "there was naturally some concern, given the two tragic events over a relatively short period."

"Existing bookings held up reasonably well – most people who had travel plans travelled as normal – but forward bookings slowed."

"Since then we have seen a gradual recovery, which is in line with what we thought would happen."

Following MH17, Malaysia Airlines almost doubled the commission which Australian travel agents earn from selling seats on its planes, increasing the margin to 11 per cent from a standard rate of 6 per cent.

However, Lee tells Traveller.com.au that such commissions are often rolled out by airlines to increase sales at various times throughout the year, while Flight Centre's Parker says that many airlines and hotels will "often increase commissions for the short term" to grow their slice of the market.

Malaysia Airlines also offered refunds on all bookings through to the end of this year.

Part of bolstering the airline's appeal to Australian travellers sees MasterChef favourite, TV presenter and cookbook author Poh Ling Yeow joining forces with Malaysia Airlines to revamp its inflight menu.

Born in Malaysia and raised in Australia, Yeow laughingly describes herself as a 'banana' – "yellow on the outside, white on the inside!" – and says her role is the ideal opportunity to combine her love of both two countries with her love of food.

Yeow's family recipe for nyonya chicken curry is being served on all Malaysia Airlines flights out of Australia until March..

"Chicken is something that everybody loves, and the dish also has that authentic Malaysian flavour of classic spices, rich coconut milk and smokey curry leaves" Yeow explains.

"It's the type of cultural cuisine I'm always drawn to, because they're always related to good memories and they're always yummy."

"And it's a very robust dish so after being cooked and quickly chilled it can be heated up easily in the plane without destroying that wonderful flavour."

Malaysia Airlines first approached Yeow in January this year, but the project was twice delayed twice following the loss of MH370 in March and MH17 in July.

The new dish is being offered to all business and economy-class passengers on flights from Australia to Kuala Lumpur.

"Malaysian food is very democratic cuisine – it's so affordable that everyone can eat it. That street food culture means that it's always about the food, not being seen at some fancy restaurant."

Poh is only the third chef enlisted by Malaysia Airlines, which has previously signed Michelin star chef Richard Corrigan and French chef Amandine Chaignot to create signature dishes for flights from London and France to Kuala Lumpur.

Unlike them, she doesn't own a restaurant – and has no plans in that direction.

"I have thought about it, although many friends who are chefs tell me not to do it! It's an itch that is always there. I've sort of scratched it with my stalls at Adelaide's Farmers Market and the Market Shed on Holland, but I would love to have a tiny 'sliver in the wall' restaurant doing hawker food."

In business class Poh's chicken curry will be served alongside Malaysia Airlines' own signature dish of chicken and beef satay skewers, which are prepared and cooked by hand at open charcoal grill stations.

The airline's catering arm produces 26,000 satay sticks each day, along with 200 litres of rich peanut sauce.

The writer travelled to Kuala Lumpur as a guest of Malaysia Airlines.