Airlines as instruments for nation building and national identity: case study of Malaysia and Singapore

Abstract

For many countries, the national carrier has played a significant role in nation building and national identity. Historically, airlines have been regarded as important national symbols and they have been used by governments as 'chosen instruments' for projecting their countries internationally. This paper examines the varying ways in which airlines have served to promote nation building and national identity in Malaysia and Singapore. A review of the historical geography of civil aviation development in these two countries shows that this role has evolved over the past few decades in response not only to changes taking place in the marketplace but also in the varying ways in which the governments have viewed their carriers as instruments of their social and economic development.