MASWings to take over rural services in stages from Oct 1


June 8 2007


THE new fully-owned subsidiary of Malaysia Airlines (MAS), MASWings Sdn Bhd, will take over the Rural Air Services (RAS) in Sabah and Sarawak from its current operator, Fly Asian Xpress (FAX), in stages from October 1.
Transport Minister Datuk Seri Chan Kong Choy said today MASWings will use the existing turboprop or propeller-driven aircraft operated by FAX - seven Fokker F-50s and five Twin Otters - to service the RAS routes.

“The aircraft will be fully serviced to ensure they are fit for operation before being handed over to MASWings. Later, it will look for new aircraft but in the beginning, it will use the existing ones,” he said.

Chan was responding to concerns over whether the 12 planes now used by FAX are fit to fly due to frequent breakdowns and technical problems.

The latest was yesterday, when the only Fokker F-50 plane still in operation was grounded for repairs, causing flights cancellations within Sabah and between Sabah and Sarawak.

Six other Fokker F-50s had been grounded earlier for repairs and are only expected to be ready for operation next week. — Bernama

Got a call from them today. Asking if i'm still interested in flying with them. And upgrade to fokker f50 too!! :colgate:

Got a call from them today. Asking if i'm still interested in flying with them. And upgrade to fokker f50 too!! :colgate:

cool bro!!! best of luck to u...:cheers:

thanks, but i rejected them since i have 2 years left for my university degree. Maybe after i graduate.

what's the latest development of a380 hangar?

thanks, but i rejected them since i have 2 years left for my university degree. Maybe after i graduate.

what's the latest development of a380 hangar?

must be cool the fly the turboprop....

actually the hangar is not in my scope..my main scope is the upgrading work for the airside work ( taxiway widening and runway widening/strengthening) and landside work ( aerobridge no.3 and renovate the existing lounge)..

maybe later next week i post the photos...been very busy lately...

Flying turboprop in inland Borneo with unpreditable weather condition is one of the most challenging part for a new pilots. That's why there were some mishaps almost all attributed to weather.

I have a question. These years i've been landing in asphalt runway. Do you know what is the advantages and disadvantages of concrete airside and runway? Talk to a friend he told me the final 1/4 of runway 14R KUL is bumpy not as smooth as it used to be. Do you know any planned upgrading works?

I have a question. These years i've been landing in asphalt runway. Do you know what is the advantages and disadvantages of concrete airside and runway? Talk to a friend he told me the final 1/4 of runway 14R KUL is bumpy not as smooth as it used to be. Do you know any planned upgrading works?

airaside as in the tarmac? the advantages of having the concrete airside is that it can withstand huge load from the static plane....we call it as PQC...-pavement quality concrete...as for concrete runway..im no specialist..but what i can say is that its more or less the same as road...concrete less maintenance...but it comes with more noise...

aha..the 1/4 part of the 14R..that is a SOALAN cepumas...:lol: the contractor for the upgrading work is still doing their study on it....but what i can say that the bumpiness is due to the different material compared to the existing runway pavement...some more...the grooving on the new part has yet to be carry out...

besides the upgrading work for the A380...there wont be any major upgrading work in the future...for the exception of the permanent lcct work in few yrs time...

so the new permanent LCCT will be situated on a piece of land next to satellite building? or they gonna move all cargo to a new site and build LCCT there?

Fairul TraCon is in main tower or airside tower?

well we shall continue our discussion in klia thread hahaha

2 F50 already in MAS Wings livery ..just saw it just now inside the hangar at SZB..

Online booking with MASWings from Jan 15
September 20, 2007 | By rajlira In Sarawak News |
‘Get your seats from the comfort of your home’

MIRI: Air travellers can, from Jan 15 next year, do online booking of tickets to fly MASWings from the comfort of their homes.

MASWings managing director Dr Amin Khan revealed yesterday the launch of MASWings’ website for the launch of its operation.

“I’m glad to announce that we will launch our new website on Oct 1. With that, air travellers will able to do their booking and ticketing from Jan 15 next year,” he said at MASWings’ cabin crew graduation ceremony.

Scheduled to start operation on Oct 1, MASWings will have interlining capability, which will be a convenience to customers.

Forty-three cabin crews from Sarawak and Sabah have been undergoing intensive training in the past four weeks in preparation to fly on Oct 1.

“MASWings is a subsidiary of Malaysia Airlines (MAS). Therefore we have a strong MAS character of being spontaneous, concerned, determined and friendly,” said Amin who described the cabin crew as MASWings’ ambassadors and angels of the sky.

Amin reminded the cabin crew to deliver good service.

“Please be sensitive and responsive to customers or passenger’s need, be confident and reassuring towards them. Equally important, you need to work together and efficiently as a team,” Amin said.

He wanted MASWings to be a winning team that is reliable, friendly, offers affordable fare, good service with its flights on schedule.

“This will only be possible with the help and commitment of each and everyone of us and the cabin crew,” he added.

It was a joyous day for 43 Sarawakians and Sabahans who celebrated their graduation as cabin crew of MASWings.

The inaugural graduation ceremony for the cabin crew of MASWings was witnessed by the families of the 29 stewardesses and 14 stewards turning out in full force to celebrate the milestone event.

The graduates received their certificates from Minister of Urban Development and Tourism Dato Sri Wong Soon Koh.

Meanwhile Roy G Fender Antusa and Hartinie Ibrahim were Best Trainee Steward and Stewardess respectively.

One of the graduates, Mevlyn Leely Balang, 23, said: “I come from Lawas, a rural community that is dependent on air travel. I look forward to serving on MASWings which will provide a vital air link to my people and others. This is also a great opportunity for me to meet people and make new friends. I made some really great friends during the training.”

Her fellow graduate, Eric Salup, 23, said: “I have learnt so many new things during the training. It has been an enriching experience, the trainers and my new colleagues are all great. I can’t wait to start flying. And my family is very proud of me working with MASWings.”

MASWings will be launched in Mulu on Oct 1. The airline will provide an additional 200 weekly flights in Sabah and Sarawak, and interlining service that allows customers to check-in all the way to their final destination with just one ticket.

It is also offering better schedules and connectivity as Malaysia Airlines and MASWings’ flight schedules are aligned to ensure customers catch their connecting flights.

Flights are open for booking through Malaysia Airlines’ call centre at 1-300-883000 and travel agents, both nationwide and worldwide.

MASWings will commence operation with four Fokker 50 and four Twin Otter aircraft to serve 23 destinations in Sarawak, Sabah and Labuan.

Another three Fokker 50 and one Twin Otter aircraft will join MASWings on Oct 28.

By Dec 1, the airline will have a fleet of eight Fokker 50 and five Twin Otters.

MAS unit takes over rural air services

01 October, 2007 (NST Online)

KUCHING: MASWings took over the rural air services (RAS) in Sabah and Sarawak from Fly Asian Express (FAX) today. FAX's last flight yesterday was a Fokker 50 flight from Labuan, which landed in Miri around 9pm.

MASWings, a new subsidiary of Malaysia Airlines, marks the takeover with a launch in Mulu today by Chief Minister Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud.

A similar ceremony is also scheduled in Sabah by Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman.

The handover ends 14 months of problem-plagued and highly criticised FAX service.

MAS originally operated the RAS but handed it over to FAX, an associate company of low-cost carrier AirAsia, under the domestic routes rationalisation programme in August last year.

FAX, with no experience operating a rural air service, flew into technical difficulties as it ran into flight delays and cancellations. The unreliability of the air service resulted in a number of major overseas tour operators cancelling the tour to the famed Mulu Caves.

The effect on Sarawak's tourism industry was so bad that in April, Sarawak Tourism Board chief operating officer Gracie Geikie called the domestic routes rationalisation programme “an expensive experiment". She said it had cost the industry RM30 million.

The unreliable service also made life difficult for people in remote villages served by RAS as essential supplies of foodstuff and fuel for their generators were disrupted.

Faced with complaints, the government asked MAS to take back the RAS.

MASWings says it will operate 193 flights a week across 21 destinations in Sarawak and Sabah. Of these, 113 flights will be to destinations served by the 50-seater Fokker 50.

2 F50 already in MAS Wings livery ..just saw it just now inside the hangar at SZB..

Fairul, is the MASWings livery same as MAS?

www.maswings.com.my

what a nice website :) I wonder when are they going to allow online booking?

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I really don't understand why they want to use a different name other than Firefly since they are now both under MAS and only use turboprop planes.

Also, I want to criticize Air Asia for not fulfilling its promise when taking over the bulks of domestic flights including the rural sectors. It is so smart that when it gets what it wants from MAS or from the M'sian gov't, it just neglected the rural sector totally knowing that the sector doesn't make money. Then, when the public complained about it, it just handed the sector back to MAS saying that it cannot concentrate on that sector while it has its long haul sector to look after. What a smart guy Toni is and what a dumb ass MAS is. No wonder it loses out, always.

MASWings makes headstart with 3,000 bookings
Saturday October 20, 2007
TheStar


http://www.thestar.com.my/archives/2007/10/20/southneast/se_03maswings.jpg

Good move: A MASwings aircraft being welcomed by Sabah Cultural Association members wearing Murut traditional costumes at Kota Kinabalu
International Airport recently.

KUCHING: Sarawak has made a head start in drawing back tourists from long-haul destinations with the recent launch of the new airline MASWings.

MASWings is a subsidiary of national carrier Malaysia Airlines (MAS).

MAS area manager for Sarawak Shauqi Ahmad said MASWings had received 3,000 bookings, including to Mulu National Park, a world heritage site, since its launch two weeks ago.

He said that MASWings shared the flight code with MAS, which had connections with more than 200 partner airlines and 16,000 travel agents worldwide.

“The connectivity and interlining of MASWings allow long-distance travellers, like those from Europe, to buy air tickets from one travel agent and use only one ticket to check through to the final destination,” he said at his Hari Raya Open House here.

MASWings took over rural air services on Oct 1 from Fly Asian Xpress (FAX), which did not offer interlining services for international travellers.

Major tour wholesalers in Europe suspended selling Sarawak packages, particularly to Mulu, after FAX took over rural air services from MAS last year.

Shauqi said, with Royal Brunei Airline resuming its Kuching-Bandar Seri Begawan service on Dec 1, MAS expected stiff competition as both airlines served similar long-haul destinations.

I really don't understand why they want to use a different name other than Firefly since they are now both under MAS and only use turboprop planes.

.

Simple. It is easier to bail out when the rural routes are flown using a different company. All they have to do is find a way to make the company bankrupt and it will not affect their other operations, namely MAS and firefly.

Simple. It is easier to bail out when the rural routes are flown using a different company. All they have to do is find a way to make the company bankrupt and it will not affect their other operations, namely MAS and firefly.

Maswings receive subsidies and payment from the government to operate the rural air services. Firefly is a MAS initiative, no subsidies, profit orientated. Completely different product.

SUBANG: MASWings Sdn Bhd will fly higher in three years when a foundation is firmly established for the airline to build its passenger load factor to 80%.

According to managing director Dr Amin Khan, the airline will only become profitable when load factor hits 80%.

The Malaysia Airline (MAS) subsidiary started operating the rural air service in Sabah and Sarawak last month and achieved load factor of 59%.

This month, its load factor improved to 66% and is expected to reach 70% next year.

“We are planning towards it (profit). I am looking at three years to be ready after the foundation is in place,” Amin said, adding that MASWings wanted to ensure that its services were fully interlined with other airlines and connectivity improved.

The first of its three-phase development focuses on operations and kicked off in October.

“Since Oct 1, we have achieved on time performance (OTP) of 91%,” Amin told a media briefing yesterday.

The airline currently operates 451 flights weekly, serving 21 destinations. For 2008, it planned to operate 37,000 flights a year.

“We plan to carry 900,000 passengers next year,” Amin said, adding that it had flown 110,000 passengers since services began last month.

“Currently, foreigners account for 12% of our passenger volume.

“Personally, I would like (it to increase to) 20% in three years. We can increase the volume of passengers with more foreigners coming in; that is why the emphasis on tourism is very strong,” he said.

For next year, MASWings would roll out the next two phases covering people and marketing. Initiatives include programmes to raise awareness of the airline as well as to inculcate caring and service culture among customers and employees.

Earlier this month, MAS announced the purchase 10 ATR 72 500, with an option for five more for MASWings. The ATR 72 500, a turboprop six-blade propeller aircraft, would replace the Fokker 50 in March 2009.

Amin said the new planes would grow passenger capacity by 40% to 70 per flight.

“With the new planes, we are confident that OTP will hit 99% and we will be a green airline as fuel consumption will be lower,” he added^^

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my ride to Sandakan from KK

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MASWings safety cards on the left..

u took the card from the plane my friend? not a good practice...

i know its not a good practice...cant help it..its my hobby to collect safety cards...

just make sure you dont get caught. I'll bring you home some of discarded plane stuff from australia.

MASwings offers more flights in Sabah and Sarawak
Sunday January 20, 2008
TheStar

KUCHING: MASwings will offer an additional 85 flights in Sarawak and Sabah from tomorrow when the seventh Fokker F50 aircraft joins its fleet.

Managing director Dr Amin Khan said the increased fleet enabled MASwings to have additional weekly flights of 42 in Sarawak, 11 in Sabah and 32 between the two states.

He said the Kuching-Sibu route, for example, had been increased from seven to 14 flights a week, which will be well received by the business community.

“In addition, the Miri-Kota Kinabalu route is increased from 10 to 21 weekly flights and this will enable more tourists arriving in Kota Kinabalu to fly to Miri and on to Mulu.

“With these 85 extra flights, we are gearing up for Chinese New Year and subsequently the school holidays,” he told reporters at a media briefing here yesterday.

He added MASwings now had seven Fokker F50 and five Twin Otter aircraft.

It expects to fly a total of 27,000 trips with more than 700,000 passengers, he said.

Dr Amin Khan also said MASwings had improved its on-time performance since its launch from 83.9% in October to a record 93.7% this month, exceeding its benchmark of 86%.

In addition, he said “full interlining” was now available on MASwings, where passengers could book flights on multiple carriers and multiple legs with a single booking reference.

“For example, a passenger flying from London to Mulu via Singapore and Kuching can check in all the way from London to Mulu and vice versa,” he said.

He added that online booking prices were 15% to 35% lower compared to purchasing through travel agents or at Malaysia Airlines offices.

The online booking engine at www. maswings.com.my also allows reservations on MAS flights.

MASwings introduces new ART72 aircraft
Published: 2008/09/13

MASwings yesterday introduced the brand new ART72 into its fleet of aircraft, launching “New Friend In The Sky” for the travelling public in East Malaysia.

The first ATR72 aircraft was received by Chief Minister of Sarawak Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud at the Kuching International Airport.

Also present at the ceremony were Minister of Urban Development and Tourism Datuk Michael Manyin, Chairman of Maswings and managing director of Malaysia Airlines Datuk Seri Idris Jala and the managing director of MASwings Dr Amin Khan.

Taib said the new aircraft will help promote more eco-tourism especially in the rural areas in Sabah and Sarawak.

Rural tourism especialy in Sabah and Sarawak depends much on connectivity and it is hoped that MASwings will be able to provide more connections to places like Limbang, Mukah, Marudi and also Mulu, he said in his speech at the launching of the ATR72 yesterday.

Dr Amin Khan said the new aircraft will enable MASwings to expand its capacity by 150 per cent and meet future demands for air travel within Sabah and Sarawak. It will also connect more customers worldwide to the two states which are ideal business and tourism destinations. — Bernama

An Exclusive Coverage of the Launch 9M-MWA
A new friend in the sky…

12 of September herald a new era of air travel for the people of Sabah and Sarawak. The brand new ATR72-500, 9M-MWA made her debut at the Hornbill Skyways’ Hangar, Kuching International Airport.

I manage to get an invitation from MASwings to attend the launch of the ATR72. “It” came, one fine day, in my Inbox, the “E-Invitation”. I was so excited that I couldn’t sit still nor did I sleep well for the few days following the launch

12 of September finally came and by 2.45pm, I was already at Hornbill Skyway’s Hangar.

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The stage is set.

Shortly before 4pm. Our Chief Minister arrived and the event started. We had Dr. Amin Khan giving his welcoming speech and followed by a short video presentation of MASwings in the 90 days in operation. The difficulties they had to endure to bring back reliable air passage to the rural folks in Sabah and Sarawak.

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VIP Speeches.

From auditing the aircrafts to the launch of the website. In the video also we were shown never before seen pictures of the sad and sorry states of the aircrafts when it operated under FAX. It was a touching moment for all, and it certainly brought tears to my eyes. It was a perfect tribute to those who worked so hard to make flying RAS possible again.

This was followed by Dato’ Sri Idris Jala’s speech on his confidence in RAS and thanked everyone for the support they had shown to MAS over the years. What a humble yet magnificent character. Hats off to Dato’ Sri Idris Jala.

Shortly after, the CM of Sarawak gave his speech and this was followed by the lauching of the ATR72. A model plane symbolically appeared from the stage and the 9M-MWA came towards us gracefully from the Cargo Area towards the Hanger. She was definitely a sight to behold. So graceful without being imposing, gleaming from the afternoon sun. She seemed almost touched to be able to serve the people of the two states.

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Looking regal in the afternoon sun.

VIPs and press were then given a tour of the plane with the CM signing a plague and pasted at the front bullhead of the aircraft.

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Cargo area.

My take on the aircraft. It reminded me of a scale down version of the A320. It came with multiple IFE screens and the lightings gave it a bright and cheery ambience. It came with 6 Business Class seats and for flight for and hour or more, refreshments will be served in a biodegradable box. I am glad that MASwings put itself out here as a “Green” airline.

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MASwings' New Uniform.

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IFE for safety demo.

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Seats were very comfortable. Business Class section, pitch is the same, just that you occupy 2 seats.

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A view of the Galley.

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Meal for flights 1 hour or more.

I hope you enjoyed this coverage and I sure hope all you out there will have the opportunity to fly this aircraft soon. Comments and suggestions are welcome.

A MASWING Twin Otter crashed yesterday I. No one was hurt.

14 Survive Crash As Light Plane Overshoots Runway



MIRI, Sept 13 (Bernama) -- A light passenger aircraft crashed after overshooting the runway while landing at the Ba'Kelalan airport, about 120 miles east of here, today but all 14 people on board are safe.

The DHC-6 Twin Otter aircraft, belonging to Malaysia Airlines' subsidiary MASWings, crashed at the end of the runway at the short take-off and landing airport (STOLport) as it came in to land at 9.34 am, said Ba'Kelalan State Assemblyman Nelson Balang Rining who was briefed by officers of the Lawas Department of Civil Aviation.

The pilot, co-pilot and all 12 passengers were unhurt in the incident, which badly damaged the aircraft, he said when contacted by Bernama.

Nelson, who is now in Lawas, said the weather was "considerably fine" when the aircraft took off from Lawas STOLport at 8.45 am.

In KUCHING, MASWings managing director Dr Amin Khan, when contacted by Bernama, said the aircraft, on a Miri-Lawas-Ba'Kelalan flight, skidded about 10 metres from the runway.

Bernama

MASwings Introduces "New Friend In The Sky" With ATR72 Aircraft
September 12, 2008 19:26 PM

KUCHING, Sept 12 (Bernama) -- MASwings Friday introduced the brand new ART72 into its fleet of aircraft, launching "New Friend In The Sky" for the travelling public in East Malaysia.

The first ATR72 aircraft was received by Chief Minister of Sarawak Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud at the Kuching International Airport. Also present at the ceremony were Minister of Urban Development and Tourism Datuk Michael Manyin, Chairman of Maswings and managing director of Malaysia Airlines Datuk Seri Idris Jala and the managing director of MASwings Dr Amin Khan.

Taib said the new aircraft will help promote more eco-tourism especially in the rural areas in Sabah and Sarawak.

Rural tourism especially in Sabah and Sarawak depends much on connectivity and it is hoped that MASwings will be able to provide more connections to places like Limbang, Mukah, Marudi and also Mulu, he said in his speech at the launching of the ATR72 Friday.

Dr Amin Khan said the new aircraft will enable MASwings to expand its capacity by 150 percent and meet future demands for air travel within Sabah and Sarawak. It will also connect more customers worldwide to the two states which are ideal business and tourism destinations.

-- BERNAMA

MASwings flies the 'green' skies with new aircraft

http://www.nst.com.my/Thursday/National/2353033/insidepix1
Traditional dancers admiring the new low-emission ATR 72 on the Kota Kinabalu International Airport tarmac yesterday.


KOTA KINABALU: Malaysia Airlines' subsidiary, MAS-wings, affirmed its role in providing greener travel options when its new low-emission aircraft, the 68-seater ATR 72, took to the skies yesterday.

The use of the aircraft also fitted in with Sabah's focus on eco-friendly tourism.

The aircraft consumes 10 per cent less fuel than the smaller Fokker 50, which the airline currently flies to destinations in Sabah and Sarawak. It emits 50 per cent less carbon dioxide per passenger kilometre compared with other new generation jets.

Malaysia Airlines chairman Tan Sri Dr Munir Majid said once all the seven ATR 72 on order arrived in about a year, the airline would phase out the Fokker 50 which carried 40 per cent fewer passengers.

"The new aircraft will add capacity for expansion, including for regional destinations.

"This is something which is on our minds, as Kota Kinabalu has the second busiest airport in Malaysia," he said.

The US$18 million (RM62 million) ATR 72 will be used for the twice daily scheduled flights between Kota Kinabalu and Lahad Datu, and once daily flights each between the city and Tawau and Miri in Sarawak.

MASwings managing director Dr Amin Khan said the new aircraft would help the company meet future demands and connect more passengers worldwide to business and tourism destinations in the two states.

"We are also using environmentally friendly meal boxes made from non-coloured, non-bleached palm pulp which is biodegradable. It can be thrown into your garden and will turn into compost."

State Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Masidi Manjun said MASwings' decision to introduce a larger aircraft would help boost tourism.

"We will work together to see how we can chart the future of Sabah's tourism by selling more destinations in the state, especially nature destinations.

"We need a reliable air service in order to do this," he said after inspecting the aircraft before it took off for its inaugural flight to Lahad Datu at 12.30pm.

do anyone wanna update?????

by Praziquantel
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NEW ATR72
by BRUSSELSSPOTTER
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Scratch ‘n Go

http://www.maswings.com.my/assets/images/img_prepaidcard.jpg

What is it?
, Malaysia’s 1st prepaid airline card, is a simple and hassle-free way for you to travel within Sabah and Sarawak.

Our Scratch ‘n Go cards come in 4 different unique designs that you can collect. Each design carries a different value:
- RM140 (Zone 4)
- RM90 (Zone 3)
- RM120 (Zone 2)
- RM180 (Zone 1)

More infos : http://www.maswings.com.my/upta.html

MASwings to increase its flight frequencies
By JACK WONG


KUCHING: MASwings will increase its flight frequencies and provide better connectivity when it takes delivery of another six French-made ATR 72 aircraft this year.

Managing director Mohd Salleh Tabrani said MASwings would receive its second and third ATR aircraft in the next two months.

“By the end of 2009, we will operate seven ATR aircraft which will expand our total capacity by 150%.

“This means an increase in frequency and better connectivity, and meeting the future demand in air travel within Sabah and Sarawak,” he added at a Chinese New Year dinner gathering at Kuching Hilton on Wednesday.

Mohd Salleh said passengers would enjoy a better travel experience with the 68-seater ATR aircraft.

Kuching resident Theresa Ipau anak Kapit became MASwings’ one-millionth passenger.

She was rewarded with two complimentary Kuching-Kota Kinabalu return air tickets at the event.

MASwings, which started its operations on Oct 1,2007, now operates a fleet of seven 50-seater Fokker 50 aircraft, four Twin-Otter and one ATR.

It offered 660 weekly flights and serves a network of 22 destinations in Sabah, Sarawak and Federal Terrority of Labuan.

Mohd Salleh said MASwings had provided regular and reliable services, and established its role in the tourism industry in east Malaysia.

He has recently declared 2009 as a “Safety and Security Year” for MASwings.

Aircraft boost for MASwings


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MASwings managing director Salleh Tabrani (left) receiving an ATR 72-500 replica from ATR chief executive officer Stephane Mayer, symbolising the delivery of the new aircraft. At centre is Sabah Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Masidi Manjun.


AIR links between towns in Sabah and Sarawak have been given a boost with the delivery of MASwings' second ATR 72-500 aircraft.


JONISTON BANGKUAI - Reporting From Toulouse

MASwings managing director Salleh Tabrani received the brand new 68-seater aircraft from ATR chief executive officer Stephane Mayer at the Blagnac international airport here yesterday.

Sabah Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Masidi Manjun who witnessed the handover said the delivery of the new aircraft was a reflection of MASwings' relentless efforts to ensure connectivity to the smaller towns in the two states.

He said the deployment of the ATR 72, which was known as a "green aircraft", would further establish Sabah's commitment to sustainable tourism development.

The new aircraft is the second of seven ATR 72s ordered by MASwings last year at a cost of US$128.1 million (RM476.3 million).

The remaining aircraft will be delivered in stages this year and be deployed in Sabah and Sarawak.

Salleh said MASwings had recorded a 24 per cent growth rate in passenger load over the last few months and the delivery of the second ATR 72 would further improve the quality and reliability of its services.

A wholly-owned subsidiary of Malaysia Airlines, MASwings began operations in October 2007 and welcomed its one millionth passenger last month.

"Over the last 16 months MASwings covered 37,000 sectors recording between 50,000 and 62,000 passengers every month," Salleh said, adding that it was on time 95 per cent of the time.

He said the four-hour range capability of the aircraft would allow MASwings to expand its services beyond the two states and penetrate into the East Asean Growth Area region.

"With the complete delivery of the ATR 72 aircraft this year, we can look forward to expanding our network, increasing flight frequencies and covering new destinations."

The deployment of the new aircraft will enable MASwings to expand its capacity by 150 per cent, meeting future demand in air travel within the two states.

MASwings' deployment of the ATR 72 is also intended to eventually phase out its Fokker 50 services.

@ Kota Kinabalu International Airport
From http://radzidesa.blogspot.com/

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@ Mulu
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Upswing for MASwings
Published on: Wednesday, June 17, 2009

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Kota Kinabalu: MASwings - the Sabah and Sarawak service arm of the national carrier - has been registering 25 per cent growth in terms of passengers during the first six month this year despite the global economic downturn.

Its Managing Director, Mohd Salleh Ahmad Tabrani, said in February this year, MASwings registered one million passengers after only 17 months of operation.

Speaking at a media briefing on MASwings' current developments, Tuesday, he said since its launch in October 2007, MASwings had flown more than 60,000 passengers a month on average and operate approximately 700 flights a week.

"We are operating in 22 airports with 16 of them in Sarawak, five in Sabah and one in the Federal Territory of Labuan," he said. In terms of routes MASwings has 26 in Sarawak, four in Sabah and eight between Sabah and Sarawak.

He said MASwings was also open to the idea of operating flights within Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines - East Asean Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA).

"The matter will be discussed if there are instructions from the Transport Ministry to operate routes between Sabah, Sarawak, Brunei, Indonesia and the Philippines," he said.

Mohd Salleh also disclosed that MASwings' would be phasing out its remaining eight Fokker 50 aircraft with 10 ATR 72-500 planes by April next year.

The Fokker 50s belonged to Penerbangan Nasional Berhad (PNB), which is a subsidiary of the Transport Ministry and MASwings would be returning it one by one.

At present, four of the ATR 72-500 aircraft made in Toulouse, France, were already operational, servicing routes within and between Sabah and Sarawak.

"We are expecting the fifth to be delivered some time at the end of August or in early September. The sixth will be delivered at the end of September and the seventh by December.

"The three remaining aircraft are expected to arrive in February and March next year and we will complete our fleet of 15 turboprop aircraft by April."

The other four aircraft still in operation with MASWings are the Twin Otters. Another Twin Otter will be delivered by April next year.

According to Mohd Salleh, the F50s were no longer viable in servicing MASwings' 38 routes in the two states, which includes rural destinations.

The maintenance cost for the aircraft is also high, he added.

"MASwings is the largest unit of Malaysia Airlines' Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programme. We have been entrusted by the Government to also service routes in the rural areas.

"That is why we are offering the lowest fares to our passengers to ensure everyone can afford to fly to destinations where most other airlines do not," he said.

On an average, Mohd Salleh said MASwings was offering fares from as low as RM59. On top of that, he said the On-Time Performance was at 92 per cent.

MASwings' vision was to become a five-star value carrier and consistently reliable and safe apart from cost efficient. "Because we are partially subsidised by the Government we need to ensure we don't exceed the subsidy allocated to us," he said, adding that MASwings must also make sure that it would be affordable for the people in Sabah and Sarawak.

Mohd Salleh said they wanted to make sure that they play a positive role in enhancing the social economic development and integration within Sabah and Sarawak.

MASwings flies to Ba Kelalan thrice weekly
By Philip Kiew
Wednesday, June 24th, 2009

LAWAS: Rural Air Service operator MASwings has increased flight frequency from twice to thrice weekly from Lawas to Ba Kelalan starting this week.

The new weekly Ba Kelalan-bound flights from Lawas are on Monday (9.15am), Thursday (8.30am) and Saturday (8.30am).

Welcoming the development, Lawas Member of Parliament Datuk Henry Sum Agong, said additional flights are essential and a relief to the people of Ba Kelalan and Lawas district who depend heavily on air transportation for mobility.

According to him, land transportation is tedious and expensive, as journey from Lawas to Ba Kelalan could take up to eight hours by 4WD vehicles.

“That too if the weather is dry, but on any rainy day you might not reach your destination at all,” he added.

Henry said the additional flights were a shot in the arm for tourism and highland agriculture activities, which were badly disrupted when the flights were scaled down and the land transportation severely affected by the rainy spell in 2008 and earlier this year. He said this at the presentation of government grant to Perkep Lawas district on Monday.

Also present at the function were secretary to Perkep, Corporal Hanifah Kiliki and several exco members.

S’wak rural air services for upgrading
By Zora Chan
Saturday, June 27th, 2009

MASwings to introduce in stages new flight route to Mulu, increased frequencies to Mukah, Limbang

KUCHING: In a bid to boost rural air services in Sarawak, MASwings Sdn Bhd will soon introduce new flight route to Mulu and increase existing flight frequencies to Mukah and Limbang.

Besides, airports in far-flung rural destinations like Bario, Ba Kelalan, Long Akah, Long Seridan, Long Lellang and Long Banga will be upgraded with the latest telecommunication equipment to replace the current manual ticketing operations.

Revealing this yesterday, MASwings managing director Mohd Salleh Ahmad Tabrani said the airline company would be launching its direct flight between Kuching and Mulu on Sept 15.

“The direct flight from Kuching to Mulu will be three times weekly and it will be leaving for Mulu from Kuching between 11am and 12 noon to enable passengers from Singapore and Kuala Lumpur arriving in Kuching to catch the connecting flight immediately.

“MASwings will be using Fokker 50 and a new ATR 72 aircraft for this route. This will increase the number of tourists to Mulu,” he told reporters after paying a courtesy call on Chief Minister Pehin Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud at Wisma Bapa Malaysia to brief the latter on the airline’s plans in Sarawak.

Also present were MASwings senior general manager for external relations Datuk Captain Mohd Nawawi Awang and Maswings regional manager for Sarawak and head of security Suffian Malik.

Salleh said MASwings would also increase flight frequencies from Kuching to Mukah from 14 times weekly to 20 times weekly gradually this year.

“Currently, we fly to Mukah from Kuching twice daily. We’ll add three more flights starting Aug 3 and another three flights starting Oct 25 to make it 20 times per week,” he said.

MASwings also planned to add three more flights for Miri-Limbang route starting Sept 15, increasing flight frequency from 14 times weekly to 17 times.

Besides, he said starting July 1, MASwings would be screening promotional videos on Sarawak and Sabah tourism on board the ATR 68-seat aircraft.

“The ATR aircrafts are equipped with in-flight video screen and we plan to screen promotional videos with help of tourism boards from Sarawak and Sabah,” he said.

Salleh said MASwings currently owned four ATR aircraft to service Sarawak and Sabah and the fifth aircraft was expected to be delivered and operated by August.

Each ATR aircraft had been named Kuching, Kinabalu, Mulu and Sandakan, he said, adding that Taib had named the fifth aircraft as Mukah.

He disclosed that MASwings had actually placed an order for 10 ATR aircraft, out of which four had been delivered and currently in operation.

“We expect to get the sixth and seventh aircraft by September and December, while the eighth, ninth and tenth aircraft by February and March next year. So by April next year, we’ll have 10 ATR aircraft in Sarawak and Sabah,” he said.

Salleh announced that as part of the company’s corporate social (CSR) responsibility to Sarawak, it would install satellite communication and introduce computerisation at all STOL airports (short take off and landing) namely Bario, Ba Kelalan, Long Seridan, Long Akah, Long Lellang and Long Banga.

Presently, all ticketing work and operation at these airports were done manually.

“All these will be changed by August,” he said.

“With IT facility, we’ll be able to introduce Internet at all six STOL airports and provide Internet facility to the local community. There will be compli-mentary wi-fi within the 50-metre radius of these airports,” he said.

Declining to reveal the cost of this CSR project, Salleh said it would be a “substantial amount of investment” by MASwings because it involved installation of satellite dishes, solar panels, computers, printers and battery packs.

“All these projects will definitely benefit the rural community and will be implemented in stages,” he said.

Easier access to National Park
Monday June 29, 2009

KUCHING: It will soon be easier for foreign tourists to get to Mulu National Park, Unesco’s world heritage site in northern Sarawak, when MASWings launches its direct flight from here.

The rural air operator has scheduled the inaugural Kuching-Mulu flight on Sept 15, said its managing director Mohd Salleh Tabrani.

He said the thrice weekly flight departing around noon would enable tourists arriving from Singapore and Kuala Lumpur to get immediate connection to Mulu.

Visitors from Singapore to Sarawak has increased significantly as five airlines are now serving the Singapore-Kuching route. Low-cost carriers Tiger Airways and Jetstar Asia launched their Singapore-Kuching services last November and March this year respectively. Also serving the same route are SilkAir, AirAsia and Malaysia Airline.

Maswings To Start Kuching-Mulu Flight Sept 15


KUCHING, June 26 (Bernama) -- MASwings Sdn Bhd, a subsidiary of Malaysia Airlines (MAS), will start direct flights from here to Mulu from Sept 15 to boost the tourist arrivals in Sarawak.

Its managing director, Mohd Salleh Ahmad Tabrani, said MASwings would provide three direct flights a week using ATR 72-500 and Fokker 50 (F-50) to Mulu, dubbed the 'Crown Jewel of Sarawak'.

"The flights will be between 11am and noon to enable passengers arriving here to take an immediate connection flight to Mulu.

"MASwings hopes they will boost tourist arrivals in Mulu and other destinations in Sarawak," he told a media briefing after paying a courtesy call on Chief Minister Sarawak Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud here Friday.

Mohd Salleh said MASwings would also increase its Miri-Limbang weekly flight frequencies from 14 to 17 flights a week on F-50, effective Sept 15.

MASwings, Malaysia's first commuter airline, provides air travel to meet the needs of Sarawak and Sabah.

The airline, which commenced operations on Oct 1, 2007, offers more than 660 weekly flights, serving a network of 22 destinations in Sarawak and Sabah as well as the Federal Territory of Labuan.

Meanwhile, Mohd Salleh said MASwings was committed to promote tourism in Sarawak and Sabah, via its in flight video screen in its ATR 72-500 flights, starting July 1.

"It is a collaboration between MASwings, Sarawak Tourism Board and Sabah Tourism Board to promote the top tourist spots in both states," he said.

MASwings has put in a firm order for seven ATR 72s valued at US$128.1 million (US$1=RM3.49) with options for an additional three aircraft valued at US$54.9 million.

Mohd Salleh said MASwings would take delivery of one ATR 72 in August, two in September and three by February next year.



-- BERNAMA

Lapangan terbang mini dipasang satelit

KUCHING 26 Jun - Sebanyak enam lapangan terbang mini di kawasan pedalaman utara Sarawak bakal dilengkapkan dengan satelit komunikasi yang akan membolehkan operasi penerbangan termasuk sistem tiket dilaksanakan secara berkomputer bermula Ogos ini.

Pengarah Urusan MASWings Sdn. Bhd. (MASWings), Mohd. Salleh Tabrani berkata, sebelum ini, lapangan terbang mini di Bario, Ba'Kelalan, Long Seridan, Long Akah, Long Lellang dan Long Banga beroperasi secara manual termasuk penempahan tiket yang dibuat dengan cara lama.

Menurutnya, ketika ini, MASWings sedang bekerjasama dengan sebuah syarikat telekomunikasi tempatan bagi melaksanakan sistem itu secara berperingkat.

''Kita berharap dengan pemasangan peralatan itu pada Ogos ini, kita mampu melaksanakan operasi penerbangan di setiap lapangan terbang mini secara berkomputer," katanya.

Beliau ditemui selepas mengunjungi Ketua Menteri Sarawak, Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud di sini hari ini.

MASwings launches in-flight video promotion for states
Thursday July 2, 2009

KUCHING: MASwings has given a boost to tourism promotions in Sabah and Sarawak with the launch of its in-flight entertainment programme.

The in-flight video, which showcases various tourist attractions in the two states, will be screened on the airline’s newly-acquired ATR 72-500 series aircraft.

MASwings regional manager Mohamed Suffian Abdul Malik said the five-minute video on Sarawak was produced in collaboration with the Sarawak Tourism Board (STB), while the video on Sabah was produced with the help of the Sabah Tourism Board.

“The ATR 72 aircraft is equipped with 20 LCD coloured screens spread throughout the cabin and spaced every two rows along both sides of the passenger cabin.

“The TV screens operate via a drop-down mechanism, and do not require earphones as the audio comes through the overhead speakers,’’ Mohamed Suffian told reporters at the in-flight video launch at the STB office here yesterday.

He said the proposed extended version of the video would be 20 minutes.

STB marketing manager Mary Wan Mering said the video would create greater awareness among foreigners and locals on the many tourism attractions in the Land of the Hornbills.

Mohamed Suffian said MASwings operated four ATR 72 aircrafts, and the number would be increased to 10 by March next year.

The new 68-seater aircraft will gradually replace the existing seven Fokker 50 planes. MASwings also operates four Twin-Otter aircraft.

MASwings, which started operations in October 2007, now offers 700 weekly flights serving a network of 22 destinations in Sabah and Sarawak as well as Labuan. The airline transports some 62,000 passengers a month.

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MASwings ATRs to show destination videos
Thursday, July 2nd, 2009

KUCHING: MASwings ATR 72 aircraft passengers will get to view five-minute des-tination footage, which will enlighten them on the state’s various tourist attractions.

MASwings Sarawak regional manager Mohamed Suffian Abdul Malik believed that the in-flight entertainment (IFE) videos would help to further pro-mote the state’s destination offerings to both local and international tourists.

“The five-minute destination footage can mean a lot and will be able to provide information for our passengers including the locals.

“Some Sarawakians may not have been to the Mulu National Park and the video can help create awareness on what Sarawak has to offer,” he told a news conference following the launch of MASwings’ IFE system on ATR 72 aircraft yesterday.

Suffian said the IFE facility would not only be a tool to offer information for travellers but also help promote the state in line with the airline’s promise to connect the world to Sarawak and Sabah.

MASwings currently has four ATR 72 aircraft.

Each of them is equipped with 20 LCD coloured screens throughout the 68-seater cabin.

The LCD screens are shared by every two seats on both sides of the cabin.

The screens operate on a drop down mechanism, which does not require ear-phones as the audio comes through overhead speakers.

Suffian pointed out that the destination footage would be reviewed from time to time while some other entertainment such as short features might be introduced in the near future.

“We will think of something else later, maybe short features or a longer video,” he said.

He added that MASwings would receive its fifth ATR 72 aircraft next month and by the first quarter of next year would have a total of 10 ATR to eventually replace the Fokker.

“Replacing Fokker with ATR 72 is a way to enhance our services to provide flights to Mukah, Bario, Ba Kelalan, Marudi and other interior places in Sarawak,” he said.

MASwings’ ATR network serves 11 towns and cities within and between Sarawak and Sabah, with more than 504 flights a week on 14 routes.

Last year, it operated some 700 flights a week between Sarawak and Sabah, covering a network of 22 destinations and flying 62,000 passengers a month.

MASwings, STB to boost Sabah’s tourism
2nd July, 2009

KOTA KINABALU: MASwings and Sabah Tourism Board (STB) forged collaboration to promote Sabah as an ultimate tourist destination with the launching of the in-flight entertainment (IFE) channel, beginning yesterday.

This is in line with MASwings objective to revitalise the local economy and tourism industry, and delivering its promise to connect the world to Sabah and Sarawak, MASwings regional head for Sabah, Shauqi Ahmad said.

“This is also in line with our interest and involvement in providing the highest standards of comfort and convenience to our passengers,” he added.

He said since the induction of the ATR 72 into MASwings’ fleet in September last year, their turboprop aircrafts were more comfortable with spacious cabin, fitted with leather seats and equipped with 20-inch LCD coloured screens spread throughout the cabin.

The screens are placed every two-seat rows, along both sides of the cabin. They operate on a drop down mechanism that does not require earphones as the audio comes from the overhead speakers.

Shauqi said the IFE channel would feature Sabah and Sarawak tourism board destinations footage as well as other useful information to travelling public, be they local or international tourists.

“Beginning today, both the Sabah and Sarawak tourism footages will be aired in MASwings ATR 72 aircrafts. Currently, we have four ATR in operations and will receive our fifth similar aircraft in September. By the end of 2009, MASwings will operate with seven ATRs.

“MASwings network covers 22 destinations within the two states, which among others include Kota Kinabalu, Lahad Datu, Tawau, Sandakan, Labuan, Kuching, Sibu, Bintulu, Miri and Mulu.

“We operate 700 flights a week and uplift an average of 62,000 passengers a month. MASwings operates 38 routes within Sabah and Sarawak,” Shauqi said.

He said this during a joint press conference at STB meeting room yesterday. STB was represented by deputy chairman Datuk Sari Suhut.

The ATR or Avion Transportation Regional network serves 11 towns and cities within and between both states, serving more than 504 flights on 14 routes. The 68-seater (including six business class rows) ATR 72 aircraft, the latest version manufactured by Airbus, is set to replace Fokker 50.

Commenting on the collaboration, Sari said the success of the promotion would depend on the role of everyone involved.

“All of us, including the media, need to play a role in promoting tourism. We need to create awareness to lure visitors to come, as tourism is an important industry that has contributed 40 per cent to the country’s GDP,” he said.

KL to continue subsidising rural air services
Thursday, August 6th, 2009

KUCHING: The federal government will continue to give subsidies to Malaysia Airlines’ (MAS) subsidiary, MASwings to provide rural air services (RAS) to the remote and interior parts of Sarawak.

Deputy Transport Minister Datuk Abdul Rahim Bakri said yesterday this was the commitment of the government, and the social responsibility of the national carrier, to ensure remote areas such as Bario and Ba Kelalan had air link to other parts of the state.

He said RAS had already proven to be successful in elevating the socio-economy of the people living in those places.

“This is in line with our commitment to the 1Malaysia concept (of the Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak’s administration), and we don’t want Malaysians to be deprived of the fruits of development and better infrastructure and facilities,” he told reporters here.

When asked about the impending cancellation of AirAsia’s direct flight between Sibu and Kota Kinabalu, Rahim said he did not have the authority to comment on it.

It was reported last Saturday that AirAsia is to terminate the route on Oct 25 this year.

The low-cost carrier is currently flying daily from Sibu to Kota Kinabalu using the Airbus A380 aircraft which has a capacity for 180 passengers.

AirAsia chief executive officer Datuk Seri Tony Fernandes indicated, when contacted by The Borneo Post, that his company was being forced out of the route.

Asked why, he replied: “Because MAS protested. Only MASwings can do it.”

An AirAsia spokesman also revealed that the route was listed as a rural route and only one airline can provide the service.

Rahim had earlier paid a courtesy call on Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Alfred Jabu at the latter’s office at Wisma Bapa Malaysia here.

Both Rahim and Jabu also discussed the gist of the proposal for projects by Sarawak to be submitted to the Transport Ministry for the 10th Malaysia Plan (10MP).

State Road Safety Department director Rano Alywino Akat, Infrastructure Development and Communication Ministry principal assistant secretary William Jinep and Rahim’s principal political secretary Mohd Sairin Mohd Ibrahim were also present during the discussion.

Rahim said the projects for Sarawak under the ministry under the 10MP would focus on upgrading the facilities at the ports and airports as well as improving the safety aspects of the roads in the state.

“Both the federal and state agencies will work closely to increase road safety awareness in Sarawak,” he added.

Jabu, who is Sarawak Road Safety Council chairman, meanwhile, said he was worried about the rising cases of road fatalities involving the young.

He said the growing number of road fatalities involving the young was due to their ignorance to road etiquette such as not wearing safety helmets and belts, and driving or riding haphazardly.

With Sarawak expected to have more roads under the RM4 billion allocation announced by Najib for more rural roads in East Malaysia, he said there needed to be more awareness campaigns on road safety for the youngsters.

“With a lot more roads, come a lot more responsibilities (in keeping the accidents rate down),” he said.

Rahim had earlier said there were more than 6,900 deaths, and a daily average of 35 victims losing their limbs in road accidents last year throughout Malaysia, including Sarawak.

Ong to study MASWings’ rights over KK-Sibu route


KOTA KINABALU: The Transport Ministry will study the details of an agreement with MASWings on its exclusive rights on rural air service to ply between Kota Kinabalu and Sibu.

Transport Minister Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat said it had to study the agreement carefully before deciding whether to allow AirAsia to continue operating its Kota Kinabalu-Sibu route after Oct 25.

Ong said Kota Kinabalu Foo Chow Association committee members and Sibu Chinese Chambers of Commerce representatives had raised the matter of stopping AirAsia flights in the sector at a meeting with him here on Saturday.

“I will be looking into the delicate points contained in the agreement, not just for one sector. The people’s voice must be given due attention.

“I hope to come out with some subsequent announcements,” he added.

It is understood that MASWings, which operates the rural air service, has exclusive rights to the Kota Kinabalu-Sibu sector and has protested over AirAsia providing flights since May this year.

AirAsia will cease to operate the route from Oct 25.

On whether MCA had decided on its candidate for a vacant senator’s post, Ong said he had received several recommendations, including from Sabah MCA chairman Datuk Edward Khoo.

However, he said any decision would be made by the MCA central committee.

MASwings, AirAsia in dogfight
By Ting Tieng Hee Wednesday, August 12th, 2009

National carrier’s subsidiary denies forcing budget airline out of Sibu-Kota Kinabalu route

KUCHING: MASwings yesterday broke its silence over the claim that it was forcing AirAsia out of the Sibu-Kota Kinabalu route, bringing in a new twist to the airline saga.

Not only did MASwings vehemently deny the claim, it also said AirAsia was more heavily subsidised by the government when its subsidiary, Fly Asian Express (FAX), was operating the Rural Air Service (RAS) in 2006 compared to MASwings.

“There is absolutely no truth to AirAsia’s allegation that we forced them out of the Kota Kinabalu-Sibu route,” said MASwings managing director Mohd Salleh Tabrani in a statement.

He said the route was exclusive to the operator of the RAS because AirAsia had requested for route exclusivity when FAX operated the RAS.

“We are merely following the RAS agreement that is in place. For AirAsia to fly on the route is a breach of the agreement, the same privilege enjoyed by FAX,” he said.

AirAsia chief operating officer Datuk Tony Fernandes in a report front-paged in The Borneo Post on Aug 1 confirmed that the budget airline would terminate the route on Oct 25 this year, indicating that MASwings had forced his company out.

When asked why the low-cost airline was stopping the operation of the route, he said: “Because MAS protested. Only MASwings can do it.”

Salleh yesterday pointed out that the RAS agreement covered exclusivity of the routes in Sabah and Sarawak whereby the airline operating the routes was given the first right of refusal in the event the government wanted to open up additional routes in East Malaysia.

“AirAsia was given the choice to operate in 2006; they got more subsidy than MASwings for the same scope of service, but they quickly surrendered the RAS back to MAS when they realised how unprofitable the routes were and have now decided they want to cherry pick and operate only on profitable routes.

“This is not acceptable as taxpayers’ money is involved. We cross-subsidise profitable routes such as the KK-Sibu route with other unprofitable routes. By doing so, we save the taxpayers’ money as MASwings’ profit and loss is borne by the government,” Salleh added.

Salleh said in the event that changes were made to the agreement, MASwings would need to review the commitment it had given to the government.

“The current commitment is an annual subsidy of well below 50 per cent of what was paid to FAX. In the event of the removal of selected routes from RAS agreement, a higher subsidy may have to be paid to MASwings,” he said.

He said AirAsia, through FAX, took over RAS from MAS in 2006.

Just 13 months later, MAS was asked to take back RAS operations and has since been operating these routes under MASwings.

Salleh said initially, RAS in the context of MAS was designated for air services using Twin Otter aircraft.

He said when the government gave RAS to AirAsia, it was with an expanded scope and covered all ‘propeller operated services’.

The separation was done on Aug 1, 2006.

As a result, MAS had to retrench hundreds of long-serving staff in Sabah and Sarawak under a mutual separation scheme.

Salleh said MAS handed over seven Fokker 50 and five Twin Otter aircraft to FAX in excellent flying conditions.

“When MASwings resumed the RAS operations in October 2007, 50 per cent of the seven Fokker 50 and six Twin Otter aircraft were not airworthy.

“As a result, we had to spend about RM36 million to restore these aircraft back to operational condition,” he said. When contacted via telephone yesterday, Fernandes said he could not understand why Salleh would react that way.

“What are they talking about? We are saving government’s money. MASwings is a fully subsidised service,” he said, when asked for his reaction to Salleh’s claim that he was ‘cherry picking’.

On Sunday, Bernama quoted Transport Minister Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat as saying his ministry would review the decision to scrap AirAsia’s Kota Kinabalu-Sibu route.

He said two groups - the Foochow Association in Kota Kinabalu and the Chinese Chamber of Commerce from Sibu - had personally met him on the matter.

He had promised them that he would come up with an announcement soon.

“I told them that it involved an agreement between the government and MASwings and that it came into being before I took over the (transport minister) portfolio. So I have to look into the delicate points contained in the agreement because that might involve perhaps, not just one sector, but we must always bear in mind, ‘people first’,” said Ong.

MTUC Supports MASwings Over Sibu-Kota Kinabalu Route
August 12, 2009 19:55 PM

KUCHING, Aug 12 (Bernama) -- The Malaysian Trade Union Congress (MTUC) on Wednesday defended MASwings over the budget carrier's allegation that it was forced out of the Sibu-Kota Kinabalu route.

MTUC Sarawak branch secretary Andrew Lo said it has studied the facts and circumstances leading to the cancellation of the AirAsia Sibu-Kota Kinabalu route.

"The congress is of the opinion that AirAsia cannot simply pick and choose profitable routes after leaving Sarawakians "high and dry and tax payers to pick up the pieces of the fiasco."

"We urge AirAsia, instead of playing to the gallery, but to keep its much published promise to develop Kuching as a low cost travel hub. AirAsia aircrafts do not even make night stopovers in Kuching," he said in a statement here.

Last week, AirAsia Chief Executive Officer, Datuk Tony Fernandes, claimed the airline was directed to stop plying this route from Oct 25, 2009 as the sector came under the exclusive right of the rural air service operator namely MASwings.

However, MASwings Managing Director Mohd Salleh Tabrani denied the allegation yesterday saying that it was following the rural air services agreement that was in place.

-- BERNAMA

Sibu-KK route is MASwings’ after all
By Patricia Gari and Jacqueline David
Friday, August 14th, 2009

AirAsia CEO admits route part of exclusive accord between government and MASwings for RAS

KUCHING: AirAsia chief executive officer Datuk Seri Tony Fernandes appears to have relented in the tussle for the direct Sibu-Kota Kinabalu route with MASwings.

He told Utusan Borneo yesterday that the route was part of an exclusive agreement between the government and MASwings for the rural air service (RAS).

“We don’t have a choice,” he said. “We do not intend to initiate any meeting to discuss the matter as AirAsia is also opening up a lot of flights to other destinations.”

He said that many people were disappointed when news of the termination of the route got out last week. Among those who had voiced their disapproval to him was the Foochow association.

While some might view AirAsia negatively as a result of the termination of the route, he pointed out that his company had contributed greatly to tourism in Sarawak from all sectors and this could be verified with the Sarawak Tourism Board (STB).

“This is not a cherry picking issue,” Tony stressed, referring to allegations made against AirAsia by MASwings managing director Mohd Salleh Tabrani.

AirAsia is to terminate the route on Oct 25 after it started servicing the route about four months ago. When Tony confirmed the termination of the route last week, he indicated that AirAsia was being forced out of it.

He had told reporters in Kota Kinabalu last Thursday that AirAsia would like to continue covering the route because it was good for tourism and for the economy.

“We were caught by surprise by the MASwings protest and to learn that the airline has exclusive rights to the RAS routes,” he said, explaining that to allow a commercial airline to service rural routes would mean that the government would spend less money on subsidy to MASwings.

In retaliation, Salleh issued a statement on Tuesday that denied that MASwings was forcing AirAsia out.

At the same time, he claimed that AirAsia was more heavily subsidised by the government when its subsidiary, Fly Asian Express (FAX), was operating the RAS in 2006.

“AirAsia was given the choice to operate in 2006; they got more subsidy than MASwings for the same scope of service, but they quickly surrendered the RAS back to MAS when they realised how unprofitable the routes were and have now decided they want to cherry pick and operate only on profitable routes.

“This is not acceptable as taxpayers’ money is involved. We cross-subsidise profitable routes such as the KK-Sibu route with other unprofitable routes. By doing so, we save the taxpayers’ money as MASwings profit and loss is borne by the government,” said Salleh.

The Transport Ministry has intervened.

Its minister Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat said his ministry would review the decision to scrap AirAsia’s Kota Kinabalu-Sibu route.

His deputy Datuk Robert Lau also pledged to help retain AirAsia’s service for the route.

He told The Borneo Post after the federal cabinet meeting on Wednesday: “My ministry took notice of this and is treating the matter with urgency.

“The matter has already been discussed during the cabinet meeting.

“Hopefully we can arrive at a win-win situation for both parties concerned.”

The Airlines Workers Union Sarawak and Air Transport Workers Union Sabah have objected to the review, going as far as telling the Transport Ministry not to ‘kowtow’ to AirAsia.

They also claimed that during the route rationalisation exercise in 2006 when the RAS was handed over to FAX, more than 2,600 MAS staff were affected, including about 700 from Sabah and Sarawak who had to leave MAS on a mutual separation scheme.

Extension to benefit rural travellers
By Anthony Joseph Thursday, August 27th, 2009
http://www.theborneopost.com/?p=57253

MIRI: The elderly and sick travellers can look forward to more comfort with the extension of parking aprons and terminal building for the rural air service at Miri Airport.

Assistant Minister of Infrastructure Development and Communication Datuk Lee Kim Shin said that with the extension the rural air service would have a dedicated departure and arrival halls.

The extended infrastructure will also cater for passengers bound for Labuan and Kota Kinabalu flying on MASwings.

The project was expected to start in October said Lee after being briefed by managing director of Miri Airport Kamaruzzaman Razali.

Earlier, Lee, together with Pujut assemblyman Andy Chia and Resident Dr Ngenang Jangu visited the airport, where representatives from Malaysia Airlines, MASwings and Air Asia also briefed them on their operations.

“With the extension work all operations will be done on the ground floor. This would bring much convenience to the passengers. Now, passengers have to walk up and down a long passage way,” he said.

Meanwhile, Lee urged Malaysia Airport to look into the possibility of building an additional aerobridge because of the anticipated increase in the flight frequency of low-cost carriers and chartered flights to Miri.

He noted that aerobridges were not fully utilised, particularly by AirAsia, although it cost only RM85 per usage.

The aerobridge would bring much convenience to the elderly and the handicapped.

On another matter, Lee said he fully supported the direct Miri-Singapore flight because it would help to enhance the local tourism industry in the long run.

MASwings Launches Second Phase Of In-Flight Entertainment


KUCHING, Sept 1 (Bernama) -- MASwings launched the second phase of its in-flight entertaiment on the ATR 72 aircraft with additional information on Sabah and Sarawak travel and tourism-related information beginning on Tuesday.

MASwings Sarawak regional manager Mohamed Suffian Abdul Malik said among the information available are inbound and outbound travel agents, convention facilities, hotels, transportations and other related services for tourists.

"The ATR 72 is equipped with 20 LCD coloured screens spread throughout the cabin. The LCD video screens are spaced every two-seat row along both sides of the passenger cabin and the television screens operate on a drop-down mechanism, which does not require earphones as the audio comes through the overhead speakers," he said in a statement on Tuesday.

MASwings launched the first phase of its in-flight entertainment on July 1 this year together with the Sarawak Tourism Board and Sabah Tourism Board providing basic information on both states.

Main aim of the in-flight entertainment was to create tourism destination awareness for domestic and foreign tourists on board of the aircraft.

-- BERNAMA

More travel info for ATR72 passengers


KUCHING: Passengers on MASwings’ ATR72 aircraft can now view more travel information with the launch of the second phase of its in-flight entertainment services.

The enhanced services now in**clude additional information on destinations and travel-related products in Sabah and Sarawak.

Information on travel agents, convention facilities, hotels, transportation and other tourist services is also available on the flights, the airline said in a statement.

MASwings introduced its in-flight entertainment for the ATR72 aircraft on July 1, this year, by screening videos of tourist attractions in Sabah and Sarawak.

The clips were produced in collaboration with the tourism boards of both the states.

The ATR72 is equipped with 20 LCD colour screens, placed every two rows on both sides of the passenger cabin.

MASwings currently has four ATR72 aircraft and is scheduled to receive its fifth this month.

The ATR network serves 11 towns and cities within and between Sarawak and Sabah, with 504 flights a week on 14 routes.

MAS names ATRs after Sabah, S'wak towns
Published on: Wednesday, September 09, 2009

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Kota Kinabalu: MASwings, which recently took delivery of the fifth ATR 72-500 is confident the new addition to its fleet will further reinforce its commitment to better serve the people in Sabah and Sarawak.

MASwings Managing Director, Mohamad Salleh Ahmad Tabrani said the delivery of the fifth ATR means the company is better geared with the right equipment to bring about a higher level of service, more frequencies and added capacity to the existing MASwings network in both states.

The fifth ATR is one of the 10 ATR MASwings has and will acquire to replace the ageing Fokker-50 aircraft with a modern, fuel-efficient and environment-friendly aircraft.

The fleet replacement plan will transform and redefine the "rural air service" business, which in the past was demarcated, amongst others by ageing aircraft, sub-standard facilities and limited frequencies.

The aircraft departed Toulouse on Aug 28, making several stops in Paphos, Abu Dhabi and Male before arriving at Subang Airport on August 31.

The aircraft was then certified airworthy by the Department of Civil Aviation on Sept 4.

The aircraft will be based in Miri and is expected to commence commercial service from Sept 15.

On the fleet replacement plan, Mohamad Salleh said MASwings is progressing with certainty the aircraft replacement plan.

"MASwings is poised to continue with the replacement plan despite the difficult period faced by many airlines during this depressing economic conditions," he said, adding that ATR 72 will take MASwings to the next level of business progression and pave the way for further operational and business expansion.

MASwings took delivery of the first ATR in August 2008 and subsequently in March 2009, May 2009 and July 2009.

All five ATRs were named after the cities and coastal towns of Sabah and Sarawak namely Kuching, Kota Kinabalu, Mulu, Sandakan and Mukah as per delivery sequence.

"We are enjoying good customer patronisation on our ATR flights with an average load factor of 65 per cent and in the coming months we expect the load factor to be even higher as we move into the traditionally high demand period at the end of the year", he said.

Salleh said MASwings is expected to take delivery of another five ATRs gradually until end of April 2010 to replace all eight F-50 aircraft by March 2010 bringing a total of 14 aircraft under its wings comprising 10 ATRs and four Twin Otters.

The delivery schedule of the remaining ATR is October 2009, December 2009, February 2010, March 2010 and April 2010.

The 10 ATR72-500 represents a major capital investment of more than RM700 million by Malaysia Airlines and MASwings.

"I am happy to note that we have progressed significantly within this short period as we move towards our second anniversary. Perhaps, our next move is to explore the business potential outside Malaysia ideally in the Brunei-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines East Asia Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA) which is within the flight range of our new ATR 72-500," added Salleh.

To Mulu
From flickr

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@ Mulu Airport
From flickr

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@ Mulu Airport, Sarawak
From flickr

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@ Miri, Sarawak

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MASwings to carry more flyers in East M'sia
Published: 2009/09/15





MASwings, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Malaysia Airlines, is confident of a bigger passenger load in Sabah and Sarawak soon.

Since taking over the Rural Air Service(RAS) in the two states on an exclusive basis in October 2007, it has been flying progessively increasing numbers.

"As of February this year, we flew one million passengers after just 17 months of operation.

"We are now flying more than 70,000 passengers a month compared to between 40,000 to 50,000 previously," MASwings managing director Mohd Salleh Ahmad Tabrani told a briefing here yesterday.

He said in the last six months, MASwings had registered a 24 per cent passenger growth, a figure he said, was "quite amazing".

"Despite the economic problems, there is still a very strong appetite for air travel in Sabah and Sarawak,"he said.

He said MASwings had also achieved significant revenue from handling seven customer foreign airlines like Royal Brunei, Cathay Pacific, Korean Airlines and Japan Airlines at the Kota Kinabalu and Kuching international airports.

"We are ploughing this revenue back in subsidising our less profitable routes," he explained.

MASwings now operates 800 flights a week or 41,600 annually.Its network covers some 22 destinations, of which 16 are in Sarawak, with four in Sabah and one in Labuan.

In Sarawak, MASwings serves Kuching, Sibu, Bintulu, Miri and Limbang besides smaller airports like Mukah, Tanjung Manis, Bario, Lawas, Long Akah, Long Seridan, Long Lellang, Mulu, Ba'kelalan, Marudi and Longa Banga,"he said.

In Sabah, the destinations are Kota Kinablau, Lahad Datu, Tawau, Sandakan and Labuan itself.

MASwings current fleet consists of 15 turboprop aircrafts serving 26 routes in Sarawak, four in Sabah and eight between Sabah and Sarawak.

"We are undertaking a major fleet renewal programme.We have five ATR 72-500 aircrafts, six Fokker 50 and four Twin Otters.We made a major investment of RM700 million to acquire the ATR.

"We will be adding another five ATR to the ones we already have by April next year.

By then we will be ready to phase out the Fokker 50," Mohd Salleh said.

He also disclosed that at the same time, MASwings hoped to add another Twin Otter and with that, more new interiors routes in the two states could be considered.

On passenger volume for last year, he said MASwings had carried 105,292 travellers on its Twin Otters and 643,693 on its Fokker 50 and ATR to enjoy a 62 per cent load factor. - Bernama

Attended the Kuching-Mulu Inaugural flight today.

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MASwings sees more passengers
Wednesday September 16, 2009

SIBU: MASwings, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Malaysia Airlines, is confident of a bigger passenger load in Sabah and Sarawak soon.

Since taking over the Rural Air Service in the two states on an exclusive basis in October 2007, it has been flying progressively increasing numbers.

“As at February, we have flown one million passengers after just 17 months of operation. We are now flying more than 70,000 passengers a month compared with 40,000 to 50,000 previously,” MASwings managing director Mohd Salleh Ahmad Tabrani told a briefing here on Monday.

He said in the last six months, MASwings had registered a 24% passenger growth.

“Despite the economic problems, there is still a very strong appetite for air travel in Sabah and Sarawak,” Mohd Salleh said.

He said MASwings had also achieved significant revenue from handling seven customer foreign airlines like Royal Brunei, Cathay Pacific, Korean Airlines and Japan Airlines at the Kota Kinabalu and Kuching international airports.

“We are ploughing this revenue back in subsidising our less profitable routes,” he said.

MASwings now operates 800 flights a week or 41,600 annually. Its network covers some 22 destinations, of which 16 are in Sarawak, four in Sabah and one in Labuan.

MASwings’ current fleet consists of 15 turboprop aircrafts serving 26 routes in Sarawak, four in Sabah and eight between Sabah and Sarawak.

“We are undertaking a major fleet renewal programme. We have five ATR 72-500 aircraft, six Fokker 50 and four Twin Otters. We made a major investment of RM700mil to acquire the ATR.

“We will be adding another five ATR by April. By then we will be ready to phase out the Fokker 50,” Salleh said. — Bernama

MASwings launches Kuching-Mulu direct service
ANTONIA CHIAM Wednesday 16 Sep, 2009
http://www.easterntimes.com.my/index.php?news_id=1&news_content=13092

http://www.easterntimes.com.my/images/MASwings.jpg

Manyin (6th left) posing with the delegates after the official
launch of the Kuching-Mulu direct route. PHOTO: ANTONIA CHIAM

KUCHING: MASwings, a wholly owned subsidiary of Malaysia Airlines, launched its Kuching-Mulu direct non-stop service yesterday.

The maiden flight took off from Kuching International Airport at 11.20 am ferrying 60 delegates including the Minister of Tourism Datuk Michael Manyin Jawong, travel industry players and members of the media for an official launching ceremony at the Royal Mulu Resort.

"After studying the travel demand for Mulu, we are extremely pleased to revive this direct service in light of Kuching being the gateway to Sarawak, connecting visitors to various destinations within the state," said MASwings Managing Director Mohd Salleh Ahmad Tabrani in his welcoming address.
"We hope that the arrival of this service will open up new avenues of economic development in the state and encourage air travel to Mulu," he added.

He said previously it took visitors three hours to reach Mulu from Kuching via Miri, including transit time. With the direct service, it takes only one hour 35 minutes to arrive in Mulu from Kuching.

As 60% of visitors to Mulu are foreigners with Europeans being the largest numbers, they will benefit from the seamless connectivity provided by MASwings. By reducing the flying and transit times, tourists will have more time to explore Mulu.

"The new offerings at Mulu National Park such as Canopy Walk, Prince Albert Bat Camp, Bird-watching Towers and Lagang Adventure Cave would definitely draw more visitors to Mulu to experience them," Salleh said.

"With the recent delivery of our fifth ATR aircraft, we are able to uplift more visitors to Sarawak and Sabah. At this stage, we are operating Fokker-50 three times daily on Tuesday, Friday and Sunday from Kuching to Mulu, pending the arrival of our ATRs to replace the Fokker-50s.

"The three-time weekly operations? means 150 seats to Mulu or 600 seats a month. As the airline could only play its role in providing logistics, I strongly urge travel industry players to develop the business more in order to bring in more visitors into Mulu," Salleh said.

Also present at the launching ceremony were Deputy State Secretary Datu Ose Murang, Malaysia Airlines Commercial Director Dato Rashid Khan, BORSA Mulu Managing Director Dato Robert Geneid, Managing Director of PARABENA Datuk Radziah Mahmud-Geneid, Sarawak Tourism Federation President Wee Hong Seng, MATTA Sarawak Chapter Chairman Matthew Chen and Tourism Malaysia State Director Ahmad Johanif.[/QUOTE]

Penerbangan terus ke Mulu

Oleh SOPI SAMAILE
utusansarawak@utusan.com.my


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KEINDAHAN Sungai Mulu akan menarik lebih ramai pelancong. – UTUSAN/AMIR HAFIZ ABD RAHMAN.

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KUCHING 1 Okt. – Perkhidmatan Penerbangan MASwing secara terus dari Kuching-Mulu memberi peluang kepada para pelancong menikmati keindahan alam di Mulu.

Kehadiran para pelancong ke destinasi pelancongan di Mulu akan membuka ruang serta peluang kepada masyarakat tempatan memperoleh pekerjaan dalam meningkatkan pendapatan masing-masing.

Majoriti penduduk di kawasan Mulu adalah kaum Orang Ulu iaitu daripada etnik Penan dan Berawan yang tinggal di sekitar Royal Mulu Resort, satu-satunya penginapan bertaraf lima bintang di destinasi pelancongan tersebut.

Manfaatnya, apabila industri berkenaan berkembang di kawasan tersebut, ia memberi kesan besar ekonomi bukan saja Sarawak bahkan penduduk di kalangan generasi muda di Mulu yang dahagakan peluang pekerjaan selama ini.

Yanee Emang, 19, berkata, memang tidak dinafikan bahawa kehadiran pelancong ke Mulu akan membuka banyak peluang pekerjaan kepada generasi muda sepertinya.

“Sebagai generasi muda di kawasan ini, ia petanda baik kepada kami kerana akan ada peluang pekerjaan ditawarkan terutamanya di Royal Resort Mulu atau sebagai pemandu pelancong.


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Perkhidmatan Penerbangan MASwing secara terus dari Kuching-Mulu memberi peluang kepada para pelancong menikmati keindahan alam di Mulu.

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“Jadi, dengan adanya perkhidmatan MASwing secara terus dari Kuching akan memberi nafas baru kepada industri pelancongan di sini yang sudah pasti memberi banyak kebaikan kepada penduduk tempatan di sini,” katanya kepada Utusan Malaysia di sini baru-baru ini.

Anna Jau, 18, pula berkata, para pelancong boleh menikmati cara dan budaya kehidupan kaum Penan dan Berawan yang terdapat di sekitar kawasan Mulu itu.

Pada masa sama, beliau yang berasal dari Long Iman dekat sini berkata, para pelancong berpeluang mempelajari serta mengetahui ubat-ubatan herba yang digunakan oleh penduduk di kawasan ini sama ada dalam menyembuhkan penyakit atau untuk penjagaan kesihatan.

Malah, tambahnya, para pelancong boleh menikmati masakan serta makanan penduduk tempatan yang semestinya segar memandangkan bahan-bahannya diperoleh dari hutan.

“Penduduk tempatan di sini juga ada menghasilkan seni kraf tangan yang menarik dan unik, maka para pelancong boleh membelinya untuk dijadikan kenang-kenangan sempena lawatan ke Mulu ini,” katanya.

Philipi Yu, 17, memberitahu, sebagai generasi muda di Mulu, dia teruja dan bangga apabila memperoleh pekerjaan dalam bidang pelancongan yang secara tidak langsung dapat meningkatkan pendapatan keluarganya yang selama ini bergantung kepada pertanian.

Katanya, sektor pelancongan di Mulu akan memberi situasi menang-menang kepada kedua-dua belah pihak sama ada yang menawarkan perkhidmatan dan para pelancong sendiri.

“Ini kerana para pelancong akan dapat menikmati keindahan alam di sini terutama suasana matahari terbenam yang cantik di samping gua, hutan dan sungai.

“Kami sebagai pekerja yang menawarkan perkhidmatan akan memperoleh pendapatan lumayan dan ia akan meningkatkan taraf ekonomi penduduk di sekitar Mulu,” ujarnya.

MASwings receives sixth ATR aircraft
11th October, 2009

http://www.newsabahtimes.com.my/mediafiles/picture/7221/1110_PLANE.jpg?1255240345

Salleh (right) and Stephan at the signing for the
delivery of the sixth ATR in Toulouse, France

KOTA KINABALU: MASwings received its sixth ATR aircraft, which arrived here from Subang yesterday.

The additional aircraft adding up to its current fleet will fortify MASwings commitment in enhancing its connectivity and comfort to the travelling public in Sabah and Sarawak.

MASwings managing director, Mohd Salleh Ahmad Tabrani said, “The delivery of the 6th ATR will enable MASwings to fulfill its obligation to offer daily frequencies which are required to provide air connectivity to the people of Sabah and Sarawak”.

The latest craft will replace the Fokker 50 routing from Kota Kinabalu to Labuan, Sandakan, Tawau and Sibu-Kuching sectors effective Oct 25.

The introduction of the ATR will increase additional overall seat capacity by 1008 passenger per week or 28% injection on the above routes and certain route will experience a massive increase by 36% without changes in the flight frequencies.

The overall combined seat capacity for these three routes are 3,644 per week before the introduction of the ATR and will increase to 4652 per week after Oct 25.

MASwings would be able to cater higher seats capacity as compared to the previous operational model using the Fokker 50, he said.

“The ATR will enable us to expand our capacity, meeting the future demand in air travel within Sabah and Sarawak, and connect more customers worldwide to the two states which are ideal destinations for business and tourism” Salleh added.

The sixth ATR which took the sky from Toulouse, France on Sept 30 arrived Subang on Oct 5 has undergone maintenance checks and was then certified airworthy by the Department of Civil Aviation in Subang on Oct 9 with the registration number 9M-MWF.

Speaking during the official delivery ceremony in Toulouse France is the CEO of ATR, Stephan Meyer, who said that, “ The ATR is clearly the right choice for MASwings operations due to its environmentally friendly engine that emits less carbon that is harmful to the tropical jungles of Sabah and Sarawak. It also enables MASwings to provide air connectivity to the interior of Sabah and Sarawak that has shorter runway such as Limbang and Mulu.”

Salleh during the signing said: “The delivery reinforces MASwings commitment to provide air travel services that are safe, reliable, punctual and consistent to the people of Sabah and Sarawak whilst keeping the operational cost low which is the major advantages of the ATR aircraft due to its low fuel consumption and maintenance requirement.”

MASwings is much on track with its fleet replacement initiative. The Fokker 50 aircraft will be replaced with ATR72-500 periodically and this entire aging fleet will be phased out by May 2010.

MASwings ATR cabin is configured to 68 seats with 31”inches pitch seats which offers wider and spacious cabin, thus providing comfort for travellers.

Amongst the additional facility made available in the ATR is the in-flight entertainment screen, which showcases the destinations in Sabah and Sarawak and ultimately provides information for the travelling public especially foreign travellers.

Meanwhile, MASwings 7th ATR is expected to be delivered in December 2009. With the recent recruitment and graduation of MASwings cabin crews in Sabah, MASwings is currently working with both Sabah and Sarawak tourism bodies to enhance the knowledge of its cabin crew by providing them tourism product information through a training that will be conducted by both tourism bodies.

The product enhancement will be extended to its existing crews by stages.

“With the product enrichment, our cabin crew will be more equipped with product knowledge to supply for our customers as we strive to provide excellent service in line with our vision to be a Five Star value carrier,” Salleh said.

Nine awarded in MASwings 2nd anniversary celebration
29th October, 2009

KOTA KINABALU: In recognition of the employees’ achievement and contribution, MASwings gave away nine outstanding recognition awards to the deserving recipients in conjunction with its second anniversary celebration.

The recognition is awarded to the station that record best on-time performance, lowest mishandled baggage, highest revenue, highest growth and highest excess baggage collection while for individual category recognition is given to staff who displayed dedication and exemplary conduct.

The awards were presented by its managing director Mohd Salleh Ahmad Tabrani and Minister of Tourism, Culture and Environment, Datuk Masidi Manjun at the anniversary dinner attended by more than 300 Malaysia Airlines and MASwings staff.

In his address, Mohd Salleh said. “I wish to record my appreciation to all my MASwings staff for the job done well and also to the rest of other Malaysia Airlines staff for their assistance and cooperation to push MASwings to greater heights.”

He added, “The cooperation between all staff under Malaysia Airlines Group is crucial to ensure the group to achieve higher results.”

Masidi said, “I applaud your effort in recognising your staff as such recognition would encourage them to perform even better. I would also like to congratulate MASwings and the management team and hope MASwings will continue to play its role to support the development of economic and tourism of both Sabah and Sarawak.”

MASwings was incorporated on 1 October 2007 as Malaysia Airlines subsidiary to handle rural air service operations in an exclusive basis.

It started with skeleton staff and to date, the staff strength is 1,300 in total across Sabah and Sarawak.

During the route rationalisation exercise, all Malaysia Airlines staff in Sabah and Sarawak with the exception of sales department, MAS Engineering, and MASkargo, was absorbed under MASwings.

Since then, it has expanded its wings and introduced new routes such as Tanjung Manis and has increased frequencies to destinations like Ba’kelalan, Tawau, Sandakan, Sibu and Miri.

“We have achieved a strong passenger growth of 24% and the average numbers of passengers increased from 62,000 to 70,000 a month. Our average flight frequencies increased from 600 to 900 passengers per week,” said Mohd Salleh.

MASwings has also uplifted its one-millionth passenger in February this year, just within 17 months of operations.

MASwings to display short-haul aircraft
Monday November 30, 2009

KOTA KINABALU: MASwings will showcase its ATR72-500 aircraft at the Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace Exhibition (Lima ‘09) from Dec 1-5.

The airline is also expected to sign the acceptance of its seventh ATR72-500 worth RM80mil during the exhibition.

MASwings said in a statement that it received its seventh ATR72-500 from Toulouse on Thursday and it would arrive in Langkawi tomorrow in time for the exhibition before commencing its operations in Sabah and Sarawak.

“MASwings’ participation in the Lima exhibition is a tangible demonstration of our effort in promoting Sabah and Sarawak to the world.

“We are committed in our effort to work with various tourism bodies to increase domestic tourism in tandem with our tagline, connecting the world to Sabah and Sarawak, as well as establishing MASwings as a preferred carrier in the region,” said the statement.

MASwings is expected to receive three more ATR72-500 aircraft, making a total of 10 ATRs by April next year.

MASwings started its operations on Oct 1, 2007 and offers more than 950 weekly flights serving 22 destinations in Sarawak and Sabah as well as Labuan.

It currently has a fleet of three Fokker 50s, four Twin Otters and seven ATR72s.

In Langkawi, Defence Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi called on Lima participants to think of effective ways to jointly curb sea piracy that is growing in the South China Sea.

Dr Ahmad said that this problem if not contained, would lead to escalating piracy activities, similar to the one plaguing the Gulf of Aden.

The maritime boundary situation in South-East Asia is complex because four Asean countries (Malaysia, Vietnam, Philippine and Brunei) and China are claiming parts of the Spartlys’ atolls.

“This situation causes problem to the maritime patrol and enforcement activities because the pirates know that no country could impose their laws in a large area of water,” he said after addressing an international conference at a resort yesterday.

The two-day conference was attended by 150 participants from 24 countries.

MASwings Aims To Carry Over One Million Passengers Next Year
December 02, 2009 12:58 PM

LANGKAWI, Dec 2 (Bernama) -- MASwings Sdn Bhd, a subsidiary of Malaysia Airlines, aims to carry over one million passengers next year with the delivery of its 10 ATR72-500 aircraft completed.

Its managing director Mohd Salleh Ahmad Tabrani said the airline signed an acceptance agreement today for the seventh ATR72-500, which will commence operations in Sabah and Sarawak on Dec 18.

He said by April 2010, the airline will receive another three ATRs.

"After receiving all 10 ATRs next year, the ageing Fokker 50 aircraft now in service, will be phased out," he told reporters after the acceptance agreement signing ceremony here Wednesday.

The ceremony was held on the sidelines of the Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace Exhibition 2009 (LIMA 2009) here.

Mohd Salleh said MASwings also plans to expand its operation into Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines-East Asean Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA) next year.

MASwings was officially launched on Oct 1, 2007 and caters to the air travel needs of Sarawak and Sabah's population by providing affordable fares and convenient flight schedules within the two states.

Its fleet consists of 14 turboprop aircraft.MASwings operates approximately 900 flights weekly or a total of 46,800 annually.

-- BERNAMA

MASwings, MAS to consolidate services in Tawau
Published on: Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Tawau: Malaysia Airlines (MAS) and MASwings will consolidate all its sales and ticketing services in Tawau at the airport commencing Dec 15.

With the consolidation aimed at transforming the sales and ticketing office at the Tawau airport into a one-stop centre, operations at the Tawau town office will cease.

"Our aim is to consolidate all resources at the airport to ensure that we are able to offer better and more comprehensive services to our customers.

"In addition to reservations and ticketing, services offered include re-issuance and refunds for both MAS and MASwings' tickets, mileage points redemptions for Enrich, MAS' frequent flyer programmes and purchase of MASholidays packages," said MASwings' Regional Head, Shauqi Ahmad.

The ticketing office at the airport will open from 7am to 8.30pm, Monday through Sunday, including public holidays. For more details, call 089-950191.

From flickr

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I am pleased with the performance of MASWings. Since taking over rural air service from FAX, the subsidiary of MAS is making great improvements in terms of utilising newer aircraft and improved services.

MASwings set to soar higher
By Rupa Damodaran Published: 2010/03/17

MASwings, a subsidiary of national carrier Malaysia Airlines (MAS) (3786), expects to carry 1.1 million passengers this year, as it operates an all-new fleet of ATR 72-500s.

It is due to phase out the last of its eight Fokker 50s next month, with 10 new ATR72-500s through a RM700 million investment. The Fokker planes will be returned to Penerbangan Malaysia Bhd.

MASwings managing director Datuk Salleh Tabrani said the airline carried 900,000 passengers last year, up 24 per cent from 2008.

Passenger numbers have increased significantly from an average of 62,000 a month in 2009 to more than 88,000 passengers within the first two months of this year.
"It is reflective that air transport services remain a preferred mode of transportation in Sabah and Sarawak," he told a media briefing after accepting delivery of the ninth ATR 72-500 in France last week.

From inbound flights in Sabah and Sarawak, Salleh said MASwings is now eyeing the Brunei-Indonesia-Malaysia- Philippines East ASEAN Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA) to expand its area of operation.

It targets to launch some of these routes in the fourth quarter of 2010 to destinations like Kalimantan, Sulawesi and Brunei.

MASwings is now conducting a detailed study on the various new destinations, which involves the Ministry of Transport as its key stakeholder.

Some of the routes under consideration are Kuching-Pontianak, Kuching-Bandar Seri Begawan, Kota Kinabalu-Davao, Kota Kinabalu-Tawau-Tarakan, Kota Kinabalu-Tawau-Balikpapan.

Currently MASwings' network covers 22 destinations within Sabah and Sarawak and Labuan and is operating 39 routes within these three areas.

It has cut losses by half last year and envisages its newer profitable routes in its network will cross subsidise those that are not economically viable.

"We hope to continue to cut losses and we are hopeful that the international routes proposed under the BIMP-EAGA will be able to cross subsidise the loss-making routes," said Salleh.

Operations are currently subsidised by the government.

MASwings, which rakes about RM150 million a year, gets its revenue from ground handling facilities which it extends to other airlines such as the Royal Brunei Airlines, Korean Airlines and Dragon Air.

With the ATRs, Salleh said MASwings can now increase its flight frequencies from an average of 600 per week to more than 950 flights per week.

MASwings also targets to increase its on-time performance this year to 94 per cent, from 92.9 per cent now. The industry average stands at 80 per cent.

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Maswings' New Uniform Launched at Pullman.

^ yikes.. previous uniform much better. modern kebaya tops n pants??

MASwings self check-in kiosks to take off in June
Published: 2010/05/31

STARTING next month, MASwings Sdn Bhd (MASwings) passengers in Sarawak and Sabah will be able to check in without much hassle, with the implementation of the self check-in kiosks.

MASwings chairman Tengku Datuk Azmil Zahruddin said the self check-in kiosks will be introduced in Kuching and Kota Kinabalu by the end of June.

"We are continuously pursuing staff development and other training programmes to enhance competency and capabililty," he said at the unveiling of the new MASwings uniform for cabin crew and ground staff by Sarawak deputy chief minister Tan Sri Dr George Chan in Kuching, Sarawak, on Saturday.

Tengku Azmil, who also is Malaysia Airline (MAS) managing director and chief executive officer said to date, MASwings had operated more than 960 flights a week, carrying more than 90,000 passengers per month.

"In addition MASwings has also achieved a very commendable On-Time-Perfomance of 95 per cent in the first quarter of this year," he said.

Later, at a press conference, Azmil said MASwings was eyeing to expand its operation within the Brunei Darussalam-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines East Asean Growth Area.

MASwings managing director Datuk Mohd Salleh Ahmad Tabrani, who also spoke at the press conference, said among the routes identified are Kuching-Pontianak, Kuching-Balik Papan, Kuching-Brunei and Kuching-Mulu-Brunei. - Bernama

ATR MAS Wings
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MASwings and MAS female Flight Attendant uniform

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MASwings offering discounts
Thursday August 12, 2010
http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2010/8/12/nation/6842559&sec=nation

PETALING JAYA: MASwings has lined up several promotions in conjuction with the Merdeka and Ramadan season.

During the Merdeka Value Fares period from July 29 to Aug 31, MASwings will be offering discounts of up to 70% on fares purchased online.

“The travel period is Aug 2 to Jan 31, 2011 for all destinations on offer.

“Customers will have to purchase their tickets five days in advance prior to the departure date,” MASwings said in a statement.

It is also offering a Maybank Ramadan Special from Aug 10 until September 2010, exclusively for Maybank card members who can enjoy discounts of up to 50%.

Customers must purchase their tickets one day in advance to enjoy travel deals for most MASwings destinations in Sabah and Sarawak.

The travel period is until Nov 30.

All fares are applicable for one-way travel and not refundable.

For more information, visit www.maswings.com.my or call 1-300-88 3000.

Information on this promotion is also available at the Maybank website.

MASwings scores impressive on-time performance
Posted on October 4, 2010, Monday
http://www.theborneopost.com/?p=66646

KUCHING: MASwings’ achievement in obtaining 95.41 per cent on-time performance (OTP) this year can be seen as a boost to promote state tourism as flight delays had been a major problem for many.

The figure recorded represented an increase of 2.5 per cent from 2009.

“MASwings recorded the best OTP compared to all other airline operating in Malaysia,” said Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Alfred Jabu Numpang when officiating at MASwings’ 3rd anniversary dinner here on Saturday.

“Tourists demand excellent hospitality service and punctuality. I understand that it is not easy to achieve a high OTP, considering the unpredictable weather and so forth. Therefore, this is no ordinary feat,” applauded Jabu.

Besides sustaining the OTP, MASwings managing director Dato Salleh Tabrani is confident that the airline would continue to ‘expand and deliver’ as it had, among others, received its brand new ATR72-500 aircrafts.

“We have concluded our aircraft replacement plan with the delivery of the 10th and final ATR aircraft in April, while retiring our Fokker 50 fleet in the same month. With this new ATR, we aspire to expand our network to other region, specifically to the BIMP-EAGA (East Asean Growth Area).

“We will also continue to expand our frequencies and current network to provide better air-connectivity to the people in Sabah, Sarawak,” added Salleh.

In conjunction with the dinner, MASwings managed to raise RM23,300 for the Sarawak Children’s Cancer Society (SCCS).

Present to receive the donation was SCCS president Gary Ho.

Commending MASwings for discharging its corporate social responsibility (CSR), Jabu topped up the amount for SCCS with a RM5,000 donation from the Sarawak Land Consolidation and Rehabilitation Authority (Salcra).

Salleh said it was important to embark on CSR projects to be in line with the company’s aspiration to contribute to the quality of life within the community.

“We have a yearly book donation drive which is being expanded to Malaysia Airlines network across the globe. This year, we have worked with our colleagues from London, Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane in collecting books for donation to schools at Long Banga, Long Akah, Bario and Ba Kelalan in our collective desire to enhance education and eradicate illiteracy in rural areas.

“The airline is also embarking on a community service project for high achiever students, where the company would bring students to Kuala Lumpur as part of its initiative to motivate rural students to attain excellence in their studies and co-curricular activities,” explained Salleh.

MASwings was incorporated on Oct 1, 2007 to service the rural air routes in East Malaysia. From lifting about 35,000 passengers a month and running 400 flights a week during its humble beginning, MASwings now operates about 940 flights weekly and lifting about 94,000 passengers per month.

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