MAHB Close To Completing Negotiations With Two To Three New Carriers

October 13, 2008 16:48 PM

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 13 (Bernama) -- Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB) is close to completing negotiations with two to three new carriers to start operations in Malaysia before end of this year, says its managing director Datuk Seri Bashir Ahmad Abdul Majid.

"MAHB is confident that during the Routes conference the airport group is close to completing negotiations with two to three new carriers to start operations in Malaysia before year-end, so watch this space," he said in a statement today.

Since beginning of the year, MAHB has welcomed over 55 new routes from 12 airlines, generating around 200 additional weekly flights, a significant achievement given the current economic climate and the impact of high oil prices on the world's airlines.

At the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA), national carrier Malaysia Airlines has started flying to Karachi and Yogyakarta while low-cost carrier AirAsia has launched flights to Guangzhou, Yogyakarta, Singapore, Ho Chi Minh City, Hong Kong, Haikou, Guilin, Batam and Pekanbaru.

MAHB said AirAsia's long haul sister company AirAsia X has launched flights to Hangzhou and Gold Coast.

KLIA has also attracted two new low-cost carriers on the deregulated Singapore route, Jetstar Asia and Tiger Airways, it said.

The airport operator said the Penang International Airport had received three new routes from Sriwijaya Air and Indonesia AirAsia as well as increased frequencies from Cathay Pacific.

In East Malaysia, the Kota Kinabalu International Airport has gained four new air services comprising Jakarta, Denpasar (both operated by Indonesia AirAsia), Manila (Cebu Pacific) and Labuan (AirAsia).

Indonesia AirAsia has also launched new services from Kuching to Jakarta and Denpasar.

MAHB said the Langkawi International Airport also attracted a number of new carriers operating short charter programmes.

It said the rest of the year continues to look bright with another seven destinations already announced to start before the end of the year.

MAHB said no new carriers are not expected on the fully deregulated Kuala Lumpur-Singapore trunk route from Dec 1, 2008.

However, it said that Tiger and AirAsia have already announced considerable frequency increases with both carriers adding an additional four daily frequencies, with AirAsia up to six daily from two daily and Tiger up to five daily from one daily. MAHB manages and operates 39 airports in Malaysia, including five international, 16 domestic and 18 short take-off and landing airports.

Source: BERNAMA