MY | Malaysia-Based Airports

[nazrey]

Originally Posted by World 2 World

lol;-), but they are expanding quite fast now, so i think firefly deserve it own thread. just my 2C

Firefly today just fly in Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore which is just only in Asean..they still not expand to another region like Air Asia
http://www.fireflyz.com.my/flights/routes-schedules

[nazrey]

Firefly to spread wings to Kuching and KK
By VANES DEVINDRAN Tuesday November 9, 2010
http://thestar.com.my/metro/story.as...89&sec=sarawak



Soaring high: Firefly will operate a new fleet of Boeing 737-800 aircraft to
Sarawak and Sabah from Jan 15 next year.

FIREFLY, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Malaysia Airlines (MAS), will fly to Sarawak and Sabah from Jan 15 next year to facilitate MAS in terms of flight connectivity, particularly for the European market.

Flyfirefly Sdn Bhd managing director Datuk Eddy Leong said the airline would begin operating on the East Malaysian route from Kuala Lumpur International Airport with a new fleet of Boeing 737-800 aircraft.

“We believe the code-sharing with MAS will give us a competitive edge over other low-cost carriers,” he said when revealing Firefly’s expansion plan to the media in Petaling Jaya, Selangor, yesterday.

He said that Sarawak and Sabah provided good revenue in terms of cargo as well.

From Jan 15, Firefly will fly twice daily from Kuala Lumpur to Kuching and Kuala Lumpur to Kota Kinabalu. From Jan 24, it will fly four times daily from Kuala Lumpur to Kuching and thrice daily from Kuala Lumpur to Kota Kinabalu.

It plans to increase the frequency from time to time while it adds more aircraft to its fleet.

Leong revealed that Firefly intended to purchase 30 Boeing 737-800 from 2011 and 2015 in a five-year expansion drive and aimed to fly to all major Asean countries.

The destinations, he said, would be made known once the traffic routes and slots were sorted out.

Firefly hoped to add six aircraft next year, seven in 2012, seven in 2013, five in 2014 and five in 2015 under phase one of its expansion plan, he added.

It had secured four aircraft on lease, said Leong, adding that the airline would offer tickets at a competitive price, a bit of frills and award-winning service.

With the launch of the new routes, Firefly is offering 50,000 seats at RM9 one way. Bookings can be made online at fireflyz.com.my and through mobile booking at m.fireflyz.com.my.

The booking period will last until Nov 14 for travel from Jan 15 to May 31 next year.

[2206]

created myself
http://www.flickr.com/photos/3118503...7621681902892/
image hosted on flickr

image hosted on flickr

image hosted on flickr

[nazrey]

Malaysia ready to expand Asean open sky deal
Posted on November 12, 2010, Friday
http://www.theborneopost.com/?p=74716

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia is ready to further expand the scope of Asean Multilateral Agreement on Air Services, to include the Asean cities by signing the Asean Multilateral Agreement on the Full Liberalisation of Passenger Air Services and its two protocols in Brunei, today.

Transport Minister Datuk Seri Kong Cho Ha, who is attending the 16th Asean Transport Minister Meeting, said the agreement and its protocols would allow designated airlines of a Asean member state to provide air services from any city with international airport in its territory, to any other city with international airport in the territory of the other member state and vice-versa.

He also called on Asean member states to work closely in emphasising the need for concerted efforts in the region, to effectively address the pressing road safety issues and tasked the Asean Multisectoral Road Safety Special Working Group to begin preparation for the Asean Regional Road Safety Strategy Plan 2011-2020.

This would cover the strategic framework for cooperation among the member states and its policy guidelines, he said in a statement yesterday.

Kong said this plan should be aligned with the United Nations Resolution on the Decade of Action on Road Safety and the Moscow Declaration of the first Global Ministerial Conference on Road Safety in 2009.

“During the meeting, Asean Transport Ministers also welcomed the endorsement of the Master Plan on Asean Connectivity (MPAC) by the Asean leaders at the 17th Asean Summit held in October,” he added.

On the development of the Asean Single Aviation Market (Asam), Kong said the Asam would include air services liberalisation, aviation safety, aviation security, air traffic management, civil aviation technology, aviation environment protection, air transport regulatory framework and human resource development as its elements. — Bernama

[nazrey]

Firefly urged to make Sibu its hub for East Malaysia
Posted on November 12, 2010, Friday
http://www.theborneopost.com/?p=74698

SIBU: Firefly — a low cost carrier has been urged to consider making Sibu the hub for East Malaysia, following its expansion plans into Sarawak market.

This was because the central region was a rapidly growing market for domestic travel, reasoned the managing director of Equitorial Tours and Travel Sdn Bhd, Robert Tan.

While he hailed the airline’s expansion to Sarawak as timely, he opined that Kuching market had become congested with five airlines fighting for the market share and lately, Jetstar had decided to pull out.

“On the contrary, there are more than 10,000 locals working in Singapore and Johor Baharu. And moreover, there are many students studying in public and private institutions of higher learning in the Peninsular,” Tan told The Borneo Post yesterday when asked on the impact of Firefly’s entry to Sarawak on the airlines industry.

He thus argued that this would provide the necessary load to ensure that the airlines remain profitable, reiterating that Sibu was a mouth-watering market.

Backing his claim to urge the low fare airline to give Sibu the priority, he said both the current premium and low cost airlines still serviced the Sibu-Kuala Lumpur route and “hence, this goes without reasonable doubt that Sibu or the central region has the passenger load.”

The nation capital was the gateway to domestic and international destinations and it was imperative that, more airlines serviced this route.

As such, Firefly, he said, should take up the initiative since this would greatly benefit the people in the central region.

He reckoned that unlike in the Peninsular with better road connectivity, people in Sarawak depended heavily on air travel between towns as it was more convenient and time saving.

Citing an example, he said it took about six hours to reach Kuching from Sibu despite a distance of about 300km.

As such, people here still opt to travel by air rather than by roads to save time.

Tan figured that with Firefly spreading its wings to Sibu, it would give other airlines a run for their money.

“Passengers would stand to benefit from more competitive airfares and better flights options.”

He reasoned that since Sibu did not have a direct flight to Singapore and missing out on the Kuching-Seoul and Kuching-Tokyo routes, it was timely for the bustling town to enjoy better air connectivity.

He also suggested perhaps Firefly could consider flying Sibu-Johore route to put pressure on the existing low cost carrier.

Still on the same subject, he described Firefly’s spreading its wings to Sarawak as a strategic move since the state formed the bulk of the domestic travel market.

“Here, we can only travel by air to the Peninsular and again, this speaks volume about the passenger load,” he noted.

Sibu, Sarawak

[nazrey]

Airports' passenger, cargo traffic surges
Published: 2010/11/19
http://www.btimes.com.my/Current_New...cle/index_html

Passenger volume and cargo traffic at all airports country-wide surged by 14.5 per cent and 19.6 per cent, accordingly, between January and September, says Transport Minister Datuk Seri Kong Cho Ha.

He said the 14.5 per cent passenger growth works out to 43.2 million travellers vis-a-vis 37.7 million in the same period last year.

Cargo traffic also increased from 580,401 metric tonnes to 694,301 metric tonnes in the same period this year, he said in a statement today.

Malaysia's premier airport and the main gateway into the country -- the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) in Sepang -- handled the most passengers, 24.8 million or 57.5 per cent, of the total passenger volume during the period, he said.

He said passenger movements at KLIA increased by 17.1 per cent during the Jan-Sept period this year as compared with 21.2 million in the corresponding period last year.

The aviation liberalisation exercise between Malaysia and Singapore airlines also contributed to the bigger number of travellers and cargo volume, he said.

"Passenger and cargo movements are expected to increase significantly by year-end than last year," he added. -- Bernama

[nazrey]

Sibu set to fly
by Peter Boon. Posted on November 23, 2010, Tuesday
http://www.theborneopost.com/?p=76463



SIBU: The Transport Ministry has been urged to grant more direct flights
to Sibu to boost its air connectivity with the outside world.

ARE YOU READY?: Kong (left) performs the earth-breaking ceremony for the upgrading of Sibu Airport. He is joined by Wong (third left), Tiong (right) and others.

Second Finance Minister Dato Sri Wong Soon Koh, who made the call, said having a Sibu-Singapore direct flight, for instance, would do wonders for this riverine town.

Wong said, on their part, the relevant parties in Sibu were prepared to work hard to generate the required passenger load to make all direct flights economically feasible.

“I hope before that the Ministry of Transport can consider granting at least a few direct flights, say between Sibu and Singapore, as an incentive for us to work harder to create the (required passenger) load,” Wong said at the earth-breaking ceremony for the upgrading of Sibu Airport here yesterday.

In a rapid response to Wong’s request, Transport Minister Datuk Seri Kong Cho Ha told a press conference: “We will consider if the state government or his (Wong) Ministry can source any airline wanting to operate from Sibu to any destination, perhaps even overseas.

“We are willing to look into that.”

When asked if there would be any special condition for this to happen, Kong said basically it all boiled down to economic considerations.

He explained if a route was viable and profitable, airlines would be keen to service that route.

Earlier, Wong said Sibu airport would be playing an important role for many economic activities that would be generated in the next five to 10 years.

“This is because Sibu is the hub of the Sarawak Corridor of Renewable Energy (SCORE) and is strategically located.”

Among those present were Assistant Minister of Housing and Urban Development Datuk Dr Soon Choon Teck, Nangka assemblyman Datuk Awang Bemee Awang Ali Basah, Lanang MP Datuk Tiong Thai King and Jemoreng assemblyman Abu Seman Jahwie.

[nazrey]

New Sibu Airport, Sarawak!

[nazrey]

MAS, AirAsia climb on better results
Published: 2010/11/26
http://www.btimes.com.my/Current_New...cle/index_html

Malaysian Airline System Bhd, the national carrier, and AirAsia Bhd climbed in Kuala Lumpur trading after the companies reported quarterly net profits.

Malaysian Air rose 3.4 per cent to RM2.13 at 9:04 am local time, on course for its biggest advance since October 22.

AirAsia added 2.4 per cent to RM2.61, set for its highest close since October 22. -- Bloomberg

[nazrey]

Firefly to make Senai next hub?
By Marina Emmanuel Published: 2010/12/10
http://www.btimes.com.my/Current_New...cle/index_html



Firefly looks set to use Johor's Senai Airport as the second hub for its jet planes and is eyeing regional destinations like Jakarta and Bandung in Indonesia.

Business Times learnt that Firefly has leased two Boeing 737-400 planes, and these will be positioned at Senai Airport.

It is not known if any of the Boeing 737-800 planes ordered by the airline will be joining the fleet of 737-400 jets at Senai.

It is understood, however, that Firefly is leasing the two planes on a short-term basis.

Sources said subject to traffic rights approval, Firefly aims to operate the jets from Senai by the first quarter of 2011 and is eyeing routes such as Bangkok, Jakarta, Bandung, Kuching and Kota Kinabalu.

"There is also great potential for other international airports like those in Kuching, Kota Kinabalu and Penang to serve as subsequent hubs for Firefly jets," one source said.

Making Senai Airport a hub may also help spur the airport and the Iskandar Malaysia region.

For Iskandar, it could help draw more investments as it means better connectivity for existing and potential investors.

The airport, meanwhile, can expect to be infused with a new lease of life, following many repeated attempts by other airlines which had previously introduced international and domestic flights.

These efforts had not taken off, resulting in an under capacity at the airport, which has recently been upgraded with a first of its kind Aeromall.

The airport is currently served by MAS, Firefly and low-cost carrier AirAsia.

Last month, Firefly announced that it will add 30 Boeing 737-800 to its fleet over the next five years, which will operate from the Kuala Lumpur International Airport's main terminal.

The airline will receive the initial six 737-800s next year, the first of which will ply the Kuala Lumpur to Kota Kinabalu and Kuching routes from January 15 2011.

Firefly will receive seven more jets in 2012, another seven in 2013, five in 2014 and the last five in 2015.

The airline began operations in 2007 from the Penang International Airport with three Fokker F-50 planes, which were replaced a year later by turpo-propellers ATR-72-500 planes.

Sources said Firefly is not expected to exit the turbo-propeller operations which have been reportedly profitable, as it still has seven more authorised ATR 72-500s which are set to join its existing fleet of seven in a staggered manner from this month.

[nazrey]

Kuching International Airport, SARAWAK



image hosted on flickr


Airlines and destinations
Passengers Terminal
Local Flights | International Flights

                    Airlines                    Destinations
 Malaysia
                    Malaysia Airlines           Bintulu, Hong Kong, Johor Bahru,
                                                Kota Kinabalu, Kuala Lumpur, Miri, 
                                                Osaka-Kansai, Seoul-Incheon,
                                                Sibu, Singapore, Tokyo-Haneda 

                    AirAsia                     Bintulu, Johor Bahru, 
                                                Kota Kinabalu, Kuala Lumpur, Miri,
                                                Penang, Sibu, Singapore

                    Firefly                     Kuala Lumpur, Johor Bahru

                    MASwings                    Bintulu, Kota Kinabalu,  
                                                Miri, Mukah, Mulu, Pontianak, 
                                                Sibu, Tanjung Manis

                    Hornbill Skyways            Tanjung Manis

 Singapore
                    Jetstar Asia Airways        Singapore
                    Silkair                     Singapore

 Indonesia
                    Indonesia AirAsia           Jakarta

 Brunei
                    Royal Brunei Airlines       Bandar Seri Begawan

Cargo Terminal
Freight AIRLINES

 MASkargo
 Transmile Air Services
 Neptune Air
 DHL Aviation operated by Transmile Air Services
 Gading Sari Aviation Services operated by Transmile Air Services

Kota Kinabalu International Airport, SABAH


image hosted on flickr

Penang International Airport, PENANG
image hosted on flickr

image hosted on flickr

Senai International Airport, JOHOR

Photos from
- Flickr
- Panoramio
- Google

Firefly airline plans four new hubs
By B.K. SIDHU Wednesday December 15, 2010



Datuk Eddy Leong ...
‘They should be easy targets to meet.’

Airline to operate jets from Kota Kinabalu, Kuching, Penang and Senai

SUBANG: Firefly wants to set up at least four new hubs for its jet operations within the next two years, said its managing director Datuk Eddy Leong.

This would not include KL International Airport (KLIA) from where it would begin its jet services from Jan 15 next year.

The four new hubs the airline is looking to establish would be in Kota Kinabalu (KK), Kuching, Senai and Penang.

They should be easy targets to meet as by then we would have 13 aircraft,'' he told StarBiz.

He added that the concept of having hubs was not for fun but to improve aircraft timing and rotation, and services to passengers. We need the spread of timing and aircraft positioning and having more hubs allows us to do that.''

Firefly is turning into a low cost carrier by the middle of next month in a bid to provide the much-needed competition in the low cost air segment of travel in the country. At the moment AirAsia is the clear leader in the low cost market and the only rival domestically is full service carrier Malaysia Airlines (MAS).

It is difficult for a full service carrier to compete with a low cost airline as the cost base for both is different. Firefly is a unit of MAS and the entry of Firefly to the low cost arena will surely change the game for low cost travel in the country.

Firefly will use the B737-800 to fly twice daily over the KL-KK and KL-Kuching sectors. Flights will be increased to thrice daily for KL-KK and four times a day for KL-Kuching from Jan 24.

The airline would lease six aircraft next year and seven more in 2012 for its operations. The long-term plan is to buy 30 jets, but a decision on the aircraft type has yet to be made even though B737-800 makes business sense given that parent MAS has also ordered 35 of the similar aircraft type, according to Leong.

The first of the six lease aircraft for 2011 is due for delivery next week and only with more aircraft can the concept of hubbing be a reality.

Setting up hubs in Kota Kinabalu, Kuching and Penang are considered more viable by analysts than in Senai. To analysts, Senai is deemed too close to Changi, which is a thriving airport, and as such it does not make economic sense for Firefly to set up a hub at Senai.

But Leong has a contrarian view.

It is not so absurd. From a cost perspective, it is cheaper given the exchange rate (compared to Singapore). It is also a friendlier airport. Besides, we have Iskandar which is a big development and you need connectivity there. If you take all that into account, it (Senai) is an opportunity and if you do not do it, then it is an opportunity that goes away,'' Leong said.

He added that our strategy is not to compete with Changi, but complement it. More so as Changi, as an airport, is not one of the best in terms of low cost as the cost is high to fly into Changi, and it is also congested, so Senai seems quite well positioned.''

Leong said a deal had not been crafted with Senai airport yet as talks were still under way.

It is not confirmed as we have not sealed the deal, but are looking at it seriously,'' he said.

On when Senai would be added as a hub, Leong said, I would not write off a start in 2011.''

On its ATR (turboprop) operations, the airline has a hub in Subang and Penang and it operates seven ATR 72-500 to several destinations. The move into low cost does not affect its ATR operations.

[nazrey]

RM250mil upgrade for Penang airport
Tuesday December 21, 2010 By CHRISTINA CHIN and MANJIT KAUR
http://thestar.com.my/metro/story.as...8645&sec=North



New look:
Closeup of a model showing the new PIA after the expansion.

THE Penang International Airport (PIA) will have a spanking new look in June 2012 under its RM250mil expansion project.

The ground-breaking ceremony for the project, which comes under the Northern Corridor Economic Region (NCER) blueprint, was carried out by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak yesterday.

The airport’s new terminal facade will have a modern and contemporary concept with more retail and food outlets of renowned international brands and high quality local names.

In his address, Najib said equipping terminals with modern public facilities and delivering high level customer service were key to portraying a favourable image of the country to travellers.

“Cooperation and coordination between airlines, airport operators and government agencies are also essential in ensuring a pleasant experience for travellers,” he said, adding that the PIA would employ ‘meeters and greeters’ and increase its engagement with the local community around the airport to better serve visitors to the state.

Transport Minister Datuk Seri Kong Cho Ha said the PIA’s passenger load had consistently ranked fourth among the country’s 39 airports.

“From January to November, the number of passengers using the PIA increased by more than 26% to 3.7 million compared to the same period last year.

“Compared to 2009, cargo traffic has also risen by 12% in the same period to 139,200,161kg,” he said.

Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB) managing director Tan Sri Bashir Ahmad, said the expansion was part of its five-year “Runway to Success” business strategy to realise its vision for traffic growth, commercial deve-lopment and service excellence.

“The PIA has surpassed its maximum capacity with the aggressive growth of both passenger and aircraft movements in the last few years,” he said.

The expansion works involve three main packages — upgrading the main infrastructure, utility and related buildings (package one); main terminal building (package two) and air-side area facilities (package three).

Formerly dubbed the Bayan Lepas International Airport, the terminal was built in 1977 and has since undergone several upgrading measures including resurfacing the runway in 2007, expanding the terminal and increasing the check-in counters in 2008 and restoring the taxiway and apron last year.

The latest upgrading was announced by the Federal Go- vernment as part of its RM6bil fiscal stimulus package last year.

Once completed, the floor area will double to 52,000sq m, with an ability to support some 5 mil- lion passengers compared to only 3.5 million now.

Bashir said there would be more aircraft parking bays, immigration, customs and security screening counters, baggage reclaim carousels, departure lanes, public seating and toilets.

He said 800 extra car park lots would be added to the existing 1,200.

Bashir added that the main significant additions were the inline baggage screening and segregation of international and domestic passengers.

“The inline baggage screening will improve passenger flow as they won’t need to screen their baggages before checking in. Better segregation of international and domestic passengers will enhance security measures,” he said.

[nazrey]

Go for win-win formula, MAS & AirAsia told
Published: 2010/12/24
http://www.btimes.com.my/Current_New...cle/index_html

Malaysia Airlines (MAS) and AirAsia must come up with a win-win formula to start on a strategic collaboration that will enable both the airline companies to compete at the global level.

Making this call, Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said MAS and AirAsia would need to come together strategically even if they were two competing airlines especially in the area of low cost and average air fares.

Responding to a question from the media on the possibility of such a cooperation between MAS and AirAsia, Muhyiddin said it was up to the management and chief executive officers of both the companies to hold their discussions.

"This is because we understand that this would be a form of business and healthy business competition that we greatly encourage," he told a press conference following the launch of the "Teach for Malaysia" programme today.

"This is because I am aware that Air Asia is still not satisfied as several routes requested by them have yet to get the endorsement or cooperation from MAS, namely three main routes," he said. - Bernama

[nazrey]

Transmile proposal
By Presenna Nambiar Published: 2011/01/15
http://www.btimes.com.my/articles/PT14-2/Article/



Cargo carrier Transmile Group Bhd (7000)plans to offer its bondholders shares or loan stocks under a debt-restructuring plan it has yet to fully present to them.

Its chief financial officer Kam Wai Peng said some haircuts will also be requested as the debt is too huge for its current operations to service.

"If the lenders continue to demand high interest rates and (stick to their) time frame, no, we won't be able to (service the loans), we will look into offering them equity, or some loan stocks ... and some haircuts," Kam told selected media at the company's headquarters in Subang, Selangor, yesterday.

This isn't the first time Transmile will be trying to offer shares in its loans repayment to bondholders. Almost three years ago, the bondholders rejected the proposal, preferring instead cash.

"Hopefully, they are more open to it now," Kam said.
Transmile's outstanding debt obligations to its lenders are RM528.9 million. Yesterday, the first of four MD-11s sold to Federal Express Corp left the company's Subang base.

The sale of the aircraft will help the company pare down debt to about RM320.1 million.

It is still a substantial sum to service considering that Transmile registered an operating profit of only RM3.9 million for the third quarter of the financial year ended December 31 2010 and its shareholders' fund is in the red.

"(This year) we will complete the sale of the MD-11s and hope to get the agreement with the banks settled at least by second quarter, and then we need to focus on the business," managing director Liu Tai Shin said.

The debt-restructuring is only the tip of the iceberg however, as Kam points out that even with the debt-restructuring plan resolved, the company may not be able to comply with certain conditions attached to the regularisation plan required by Bursa Malaysia Bhd.

One of the conditions attached to the regularisation plan is that it needs to generate profits for two consecutive quarters after the plan.

Looking at Transmile's current operations and obligations, it is a difficult condition to meet as the deadline to submit a revamp plan to Bursa is on February 23.

"There are just too many variables at the moment to contend with, everything would impact something else. There is no clear cut answer, whether it is yes or no, or black or white. Certainly, the company will take every step to preserve value and create value, that's what the entire team has been here doing for the last three years," Liu said.

[nazrey]

Firefly Targets 3 Million Passengers In 2011 With New Aircraft
January 15, 2011 13:02 PM

KUCHING, Jan 15 (Bernama) -- Malaysia's community airline, Firefly,has target to fly three million passengers this year with the introduction of the Boeing 737-800 fleet, together with an increase in the ATR aircraft to 10.

Its head of Marketing and Communications, Angelina Corrina Fernandez said last year, the airline flew 1.35 million passengers on its nine ATR aircraft.

The airline today inaugurated the 737-800 flights to Kuching and Kota Kinabalu from the Kuala Lumpur International Airport, as part of its growth programme in East Malaysia.

"We have seen steady growth on both these routes and are confident the target is achievable.

"From the three million passenger targeted, we expect to fly at least 50 per cent, with our 737-800 aircraft to both destinations," she told reporters at the launch today.

Angelina said Firefly planned to have seven 737-800 aircraft this year and 30 by 2015.

By the end of this month, it is expected to receive one ATR aircraft and plans to add another four by 2012.

"Firefly is ready and eager to give the mass market a taste of its hospitality.

"Now, with the introduction of the new fleet of 737-800 aircraft, we are able to fly further, thus, allowing us to expand the network to East Malaysia," she added.

Currently, Firefly offers two daily flights on both routes and will add two more from Jan 24 onwards.

Angelina said Firefly customers will also able to enjoy the same level of bookings convenience as well as superior level of comfort at low fares on the 737-800 aircraft.

"By having the lowest operating cost compared with other airlines, we are able to offer such an incredible value.

"This is also achieved by leveraging on our parent company, Malaysia Airlines'(MAS) experience, infrastructure and core services such as ground operations and maintenance, repair and overhaul.

"The financial strength and credit facilities enjoyed by MAS also brings benefits to Firefly," she explained.

She said all the savings in operating costs derived from the benefits are passed back directly to the customer in the form of the lowest fares.

According to Angelina, Firefly, also plans to recruit another five airport ticketing officers to support the expansion plan.

-- BERNAMA

[World 2 World]

bu Samuel Choy

[nazrey]

Boeing unit interested in doing business with Malaysian SMEs
Published: 2011/01/22
http://www.btimes.com.my/Current_New...oes21/Article/

BOEING Defense, Space & Security (BDS) a unit of giant aerospace firm, Boeing Aircraft Company, is exploring mutually beneficial business opportunities with Malaysian small and medium enterprises (SMEs).

The firm is looking at expanding its industry relations in support of offset programmes associated with future defence product sales to the Malaysian government, said Boeing in a statement yesterday.

Boeing and key Malaysian industry organisations hosted a conference for local small-and-medium enterprises (SMEs) outside the aerospace industry early this week in Kuala Lumpur to discuss the advantages of collaboration.

Boeing completed a US$271 million (RM830 million) industrial return programme, associated with Malaysia's 1993 order of eight F/A-18D Hornets three years ahead of schedule, and has also built long-standing relations with the Malaysian industry through its commercial airplanes business.

"We will introduce new technologies and spur the development of Malaysian small and medium enterprisess by drawing on the breadth and depth of Boeing, from traditional aerospace work, to research and development and a broad range of internal services that support Boeing operations, as well as opportunities with our extended network of suppliers," said Gwen Kopsie, BDS Director of International Strategic Partnerships.

She said the opportunities would grow as Boeing continued to expand its product line and services to meet emerging customer needs.

[nazrey]

Originally Posted by nazrey

Kuala Lumpur International Airport
image hosted on flickr

Originally Posted by nazrey

Kota Kinabalu International Airport
Sabah
image hosted on flickr




image hosted on flickr


image hosted on flickr

image hosted on flickr

Penang International Airport
Penang
image hosted on flickr

image hosted on flickr

Originally Posted by nazrey

Malacca International Airport
Malacca
Photos from Forum Pencakar Langit Malaysia





Airlines and destinations
Passengers Terminal
Local Flights | International Flights

                    Airlines                    Destinations
 Malaysia
                    Firefly                     Medan [Seasonal]

 Indonesia
                    Riau Airlines               Pekanbaru
                    Wings Air                   Pekanbaru

Ministry targets 25 million tourists with airport upgrade
Monday February 7, 2011
http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp...590&sec=nation

RAUB: The Tourism Ministry is optimistic that the country could achieve its target of 25 million foreign tourist arrivals generating RM60bil in revenue.

Tourism Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ng Yen Yen said this was because access to Malaysia would be easier with the upgrading of several international airports as well as more flights.

“We also want big spenders who will stay here longer, for at least eight days,’’ Dr Ng said after attending a Chinese New Year celebration here on Saturday night.

Dr Ng said last year the Ministry had met the goal of 24 million foreign tourists, generating tourism revenue of RM55bil.

“These figures are very encouraging and we expect to achieve the target despite many challenges this year,” she said.

Dr Ng said the country received the most number of foreign tourists from New Zealand, Australia, and European countries.

“The number of tourists from the Middle East was not that high, which is why we are not too affected by the crisis in Egypt,’’ she said.

Dr Ng hoped that major airlines would provide more direct flights to major towns like Kuala Lumpur, Kota Kinabalu, Penang and Malacca.

[nazrey]

image hosted on flickr

http://www.flickr.com/photos/yonbcps/5061927431/

Ministry backs new airport proposal for Kuantan
By SIMON KHOO Thursday February 10, 2011
http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp...638&sec=nation

KUANTAN: The Tourism Ministry supports a proposal to build a new international airport in Kuantan, its minister Datuk Seri Dr Ng Yen Yen said.

She said alternatively, the present Kuantan airport could be upgraded so that more foreign tourists could visit Kuantan and other parts of Pahang.

“With an international airport, I believe Kuantan can attract visitors from places such as Shanghai, Hong Kong and Guangzhou.

“I will discuss this proposal in detail with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak and the Transport Ministry.

“If possible, maybe this proposal can be incorporated into the 10th Malaysia Plan to benefit the people of Pahang,” she said after attending a meeting with five MCA division leaders here.

Dr Ng, who is Raub MP, said with more accessibility to the coastal areas visitors could increase the length of stay, which would boost economic activities for locals.

“I urge Pahang and Kuantan folk to give suggestions and ideas on how to better promote the coastal towns,’’ she added.

Dr Ng also urged tourism officials to go to the ground more often and do their homework by compiling more data and information as references.

“Are the facilities in Kuantan adequate and the surroundings clean? What are the main complaints of tourists and how many of them are repeat visitors?

“We need to work together to realise the Government’s long-term target to attract 36 million visitors in 2020 and bring in RM168bil in revenue,” she said.

Dr Ng also took a swipe at her critics who highlighted that she spent RM3mil for overseas working trips, adding that they did not bother to mention the amount of revenue and increase in tourist arrivals as a result.

“I even had to take pills to help me sleep due to the hectic and tiring travelling schedules,” she said, adding that last year’s tourist arrivals stood at 24 million with RM55bil in revenue.

[nazrey]

Firefly aims high with new fleet
Published: 2011/02/16



QUESTION: Now that Firefly has evolved from serving solely as a turboprop operator and flying the jets, how are you planning to position yourselves as a national and regional airline? Will you still label yourself as a community airline?

Answer: "Firefly, Your Community Airline" shall continue to be our brand positioning. Our focus is to give passengers the lowest fares while providing the best travel convenience and value. For example, we fly to the award-winning main terminal KLIA and use the aerobridge to give our passengers the best comfort.

We also provide codeshare and baggage check-through facilities with Malaysia Airlines. We can offer the lowest fare because we chose the optimal aircraft type and leverage on Firefly's turboprops and Malaysia Airlines' infrastructures such as engineering, flight simulator and ground operations.

Q: Where do you see Firefly as an airline five years from now? You have announced the potential sites as hubs for the jets. Are you looking at setting up similar hubs for the jets outside of Malaysia and where would these proposed hubs be? How many jets are you looking to operate five years from now?

A: Firefly's growth will be in tandem and in coordination with Malaysia Airlines. Currently, we have announced a five-year expansion plan that will see us introducing at least 30 units of B737-800 between 2011 and 2015.

For 2011/2012, our focus is to implement our domestic network footprint to cater to market growth in the "value" segment, while providing additional connectivity to Malaysia Airlines. From 2012 onwards, we will also concurrently expand into regional destinations in the same manner.

Our decision on hubs is primarily determined by the schedule we need to operate. For example, if we base all B737 in KLIA, we would not be able to operate an early morning flight from Kota Kinabalu (say, at 7.30am) because the aircraft would need to leave KLIA at 7am and arrive at Kota Kinabalu at 9.30 am.

Therefore, the earliest Kota Kinabalu-KL flight would be at 10am. However, if we have aircraft based in KK (hence the KK "hub"), we will be able to operate the 7am flight easily.

All sizeable airlines operate in similar ways and we are fortunate that we are able to leverage on Malaysia Airlines' existing infrastructures at the various "hubs", be it domestic or international.

Q: How many ATR 72-500 planes are you looking to use five years from now? And how many B737-400 and B737-800 do you intend to use? Are there plans to bring in other aircraft like the Airbus to your fleet?

A: Our jet operations will be exclusively on the B737-800 fleet. Currently, there are no plans for other aircraft types, but we do not rule out any possibility in the future.

As for ATR operations, we presently have 10 aircraft, eight based in Subang and two in Penang. We are currently evaluating organic growth of this niche business.

Q: Why did you decide to introduce the jets into your existing fleet of turboprops? When you introduced the ATRs to Malaysians more than five years ago, its cost-saving benefits were highlighted. How does the introduction of the jets help you to save costs, if any?

A: The introduction of jet operations by Firefly is part of the identified actions laid out in Malaysia Airlines' Business Turnaround Plan 2, though implicitly. The fastest growing market segment is clearly the "value" segment and Malaysia Airlines as a group needs to have a different entity with different cost structure to capitalise on this, while at the same time, improve connectivity of the Malaysia Airlines network.

Firefly is the ideal entity for this as it already has profitable turboprop operations and by leveraging on Malaysia Airlines' existing infrastructure, we are able to enjoy further cost savings.

Q: In five years, what kind of profits are you looking at in terms of Firefly's contributions to MAS' bottom line?

A: We are unable to provide any projections for such a timeline. Suffice to say, however, that it will be significant.

Read more: Firefly aims high with new fleet http://www.btimes.com.my/Current_New...#ixzz1E76cf2TM