Malaysia Airlines & Bangkok Airways Begin Code Sharing

March 27, 2012 15:38 PM

KUALA LUMPUR, March 27 (Bernama) -- Malaysia Airlines (MAS) and Bangkok Airways have commenced a code-sharing agreement on the Thai carrier's selected domestic flights and international routes between Thailand and Malaysia.

The arrangement, effective March 25, also covers MAS services between Malaysia and Thailand.

It will allow the national carrier to set its MH marketing flight code on Bangkok Airways' services for Bangkok-Koh Samui (31 times weekly flights), Bangkok-Phuket (14 times weekly flights), Bangkok-Chiang Mai (14 times weekly flights), Koh Samui-Phuket (14 times weekly flights) and Koh Samui-Kuala Lumpur (daily flight).

"Bangkok Airways will code share on Malaysia Airlines' Kuala Lumpur-Bangkok (27 times weekly) and Kuala Lumpur-Phuket (14 times weekly) services," MAS said in a statement today.

The latest Bangkok Airways' service for Kuala Lumpur-Koh Samui allows Malaysians and international passengers to fly direct into the island from KL International Airport (KLIA) without having to stop over in Bangkok.

The KLIA-Koh Samui-KLIA service is the Thai airway's third international route into Samui island after Singapore and Hong Kong.

Senior Vice President (International Affairs) MAS, Germal Singh said the national carrier was delighted with the cooperation with Bangkok Airways which was growing fast in Thailand's premier domestic and regional airline market.

"With Malaysia Airlines' current 27 weekly services between Kuala Lumpur and Bangkok and twice daily services between Kuala Lumpur and Phuket, the code share with Bangkok Airways fits nicely into the needs of our travellers.

"They now have better travel options to get to Chiangmai via Bangkok, or on circuit trips like KLIA-Phuket-Koh Samui-Bangkok-KLIA.

"The code share with Bangkok Airways also allows us to improve our Thailand product by offering seamless connectivity to these sought-after destinations whilst strengthening KLIA's position as a key gateway for travellers."

-- BERNAMA

AirAsia prefers a low-cost terminal in Labu

Wednesday December 24, 2008

KUALA LUMPUR: Budget airline AirAsia Bhd and Sime Darby Bhd have confirmed their interest to jointly develop and operate an RM1.6bil private low-cost carrier terminal (LCCT) in Labu, Negri Sembilan.

Approval for the terminal in Labu, to be known as KLIA-East@Labu, was expected “shortly, possibly in a few days,” officials of AirAsia and the developer, Sime Darby, told reporters at a briefing yesterday.

In separate announcements to the stock exchange yesterday, AirAsia and Sime Darby said the two companies have “jointly expressed an interest to the Government of Malaysia to develop and operate a private low-cost carrier terminal (LCCT Project) on the Sime Darby group’s land in Negri Sembilan.”

Both announcements said “the LCCT Project was in the initial planning phase and the companies were engaged in preliminary discussions with state and federal authorities.”

Officials of both companies said that while details had to be ironed out, the project, estimated to cost about RM1.6bil, would be privately funded.

The RM1.6bil was an estimate of the cost of structures and the runway but did not include the 3,000-acre land where it would be built.

“We are very much at the planning stage and the land valuation certainly has not been done yet,” a Sime Darby spokesman said.

Sime Darby, in its filing, said the collaboration was an intergral part of the company’s plan for its Negri Sembilan Vision City (NSVC).

The NSVC is part of Sime Darby’s Central Vision Valley property development project spanning Selangor and Negri Sembilan, a concept which includes seaside resorts, a medical city and a safari park, among others.

It was reported that Sime Darby is expected to take up a majority stake in the joint venture.

“After the construction, we will turn over the whole project including the land to AirAsia who is the client. We are not operating the airport,” the Sime Darby spokesman said.

AirAsia said the Labu LCCT project would address its overcapacity problem when completed in 2011 and that it was preferable to another LCCT project proposed by Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB).

The LCCT proposed by MAHB is expected to completed by 2014.

“The completion date for the new permanent LCCT proposed by MAHB is too late to keep up with our passenger growth,” AirAsia said.

The Star

It’s RM499 to fly to London on AirAsia X (updated)

Published: Tuesday November 25, 2008 MYT 7:04:00 PM
Updated: Tuesday November 25, 2008 MYT 9:54:48 PM

By CHOI TUCK WO

LONDON: It’s £99 or RM499 one-way – that’s the much-awaited opening fare of AirAsia X’s latest London Stansted-Kuala Lumpur route.

Malaysians flying to London will also pay RM499 for the return flight while travellers from London going to KLIA will pay £99 (RM541) for the return ticket.

Online bookings opened at 8pm Tuesday (Malaysian time) for the five-times-a-week direct flights which will begin in March.

Also on offer are premium seats at £549 or RM1,999. The initial bookings are for the travel period from March 11 till Oct 24 next year.

The AirAsia X flights will use Airbus A340 planes which will have 286 economy and 30 premium seats.

AirAsia X CEO Azran Osman-Rani made the announcement during the route launch at London’s County Hall featuring a special performance by five-member British girl band, The Saturdays.

“The London-Kuala Lumpur route is the realisation of a long-held ambition to open up affordable access between Malaysia and Europe for both the Asean and European communities,” AirAsia Group CEO Datuk Seri Tony Fernandes said.

Fernandes said with the airline’s comprehensive route network, the opportunity for Londoners and Europeans to explore Asean has never been greater.

“This new route will benefit all of Asean as it will encourage more economic and tourism activities, bringing in more revenue and creating job opportunities,” he said.

Azran described the London route as a significant achievement, allowing those who had always wanted to travel between Europe and Asean to achieve their dream at an affordable price.

Stansted Airport’s commercial and development director Nick Barton, who finalised discussions with AirAsia X, hailed the launch as a major milestone for low-cost, long-haul air travel around the world.

“This is set to be a hugely popular link for business and leisure travellers seeking affordable long-haul travel options,” he added.

The latest route is the first step for AirAsia to realise its European aspirations and boost Kuala Lumpur as the regional aviation hub and gateway into Asean, China and Australia.

With the launch, Europeans can now see more of Asia for less by tapping into the airline’s network to popular destinations such as Phuket, Borneo, Bali, Angkor Wat and Ho Chi Minh city.

To date, AirAsia X – the long-haul affiliate of AirAsia – flies to the Gold Coast, Perth and Melbourne in Australia, Hangzhou in China and now London, bringing the Asean brand to a global stage.

Stansted is Britain’s third busiest airport, with 22.8 million passengers passing through and many leading low-cost airlines making it their base.

Source: The Star

No route cuts for MAS

Monday November 24, 2008

By B.K. SIDHU

Airline wants to make profit from every flight despite challenges

MALAYSIA Airlines (MAS) will make seasonal adjustments to its capacity but not scrap routes in the current economic slowdown.

It aims to make profit from every flight even though there are challenges such as a global lack of demand for passenger air travel, the threat of overcapacity and more competition that puts yields under pressure.

“We want to innovate and make the most of what we have. We look to survive but not cut routes and frequencies. We will make adjustments to meet our cost,’’ he told StarBiz.

Earlier this year, MAS announced a 6.4% reduction in capacity. MAS will make ad hoc adjustments to ensure that it retains a balance in network and fleet utilisation for supply and demand in air travel. The airline’s load factor is “still holding’’ at about 70%.

Newly-appointed senior general manager of sales Datuk Bernard Francis wants to beef up sales to grow market share.

To do that, he is reviewing the existing strategies as he feels there are opportunities even in a slowdown. Francis was assigned to his present post on Nov 1. He was previously senior general manager of network revenue management.

To grow its share of the market, he is segmentising the market, customising product offerings to the different market segments, broadening the distribution channels and revving up corporate sales.

“We want to create a lot of products and the biggest would be branding Malaysia as a centre for meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions (MICE).’’

Francis believes Malaysia has good infrastructure, facilities and services to support the MICE business. He wants to work with Tourism Malaysia to bring in quality customers.

MAS operates in nine regions inculding Malaysia. The others are Asean, Australia, North Asia, South Asia, Middle East and Africa, Britain, Europe and the Americas. Francis says in each region, the aim is to be the first or second player. “We want to anchor strongly in Malaysia even though we are already a dominant player here,’’ he said.

To be the lead player in a particular region means MAS must carry the most number of passengers from KL International Airport (KLIA) to the region.

Other than its lead position in the domestic market, Francis said MAS also carried the most number of passengers from KLIA to China, Europe and Asean countries but he did not provide the passenger numbers.

Francis said MAS would also review its products in greater detail in every single market.

“What is important is that we understand consumer needs and come up with products that cater to that market. Products (in future) will be differentiated. We want to customise them for the different market segments,’’ he said.

Products that MAS will continue to have are “everyday low fares and all inclusive fares.’’

Francis said these were popular products and MAS would consistently innovate and create offerings for the market.

“We will be offering more competitive fares so that we are able to give customers more choices,’’ he added.

To him, marketing should be taken to a new level at MAS. Online booking is becoming a popular option and MAS’ lowest fares are found online. But travel agents are still the biggest contributors to sales for the airlines, making up 80% of sales. Online sales bring in 7%. The rest is from MAS sales offices and centres.

“Travel agents are our important stakeholders and we want to further enhance the incentive programme that is in place.

“We will refine the programme to include all the 670 travel agents. The more they sell, the higher their incentives. MAS will track the agents’ performance from within,’’ Francis said.

Corporate sales is another big area that can grow further. MAS has 1,000 corporate customers and a team that will be pushing for corporate sales to hit 10% of total sales by end-2009 from 5% currently.

MAS’ sales division was previously regionalised but it has now been aligned to the headquarters for the airline to respond quickly to market dynamics. Francis believes he has an excellent team that can help the airline withstand the many challenges in the aviation sector.

“It is a rough patch but we will strive to survive with good leadership,’’ he said.

Source: The Star

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

ERL Sees 5-10 Pct Growth Next Year

October 13, 2008 21:27 PM

By Siti Radziah Hamzah

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 13 (Bernama) - Express Rail Link Sdn Bhd (ERL) is looking at five to 10 percent growth in its overall business next year.

Its chief executive officer, Dr. Aminuddin Adnan, said the target could be achieved with new strategies that have been outlined by the company and expected to be carried out by end of this year or early next year.

ERL is looking to expand its KLIA Transit business for the Low Cost Carrier Terminal (LCCT) and to market its services in Europe.

Aminuddin noted that its KLIA Transit service was growing and already recording higher number of passengers than its KLIA Express service.

KLIA Transit captures between 6,500 and 7,000 passengers a day while KLIA Express serves 4,500 passengers a day.

The company is planning to focus on KLIA Transits KL Sentral station to Salak Tinggi station and three connecting buses from Salak Tinggi to the LCCT.

"The competitors are charging RM8-RM9 from KL Sentral to LCCT. (However) we are looking (at a figure) higher than that because the fare from KL Sentral to Salak Tinggi is already RM12.50," Aminuddin explained.

He added that the transit bus fare would be waived for passengers who commute with KLIA Transit from KL Sentral, while passengers from Bandar Tasik Selatan and Putrajaya will be charged for the bus transit.

ERL operates two high-speed rail services, namely KLIA Express and KLIA Transit, which are connected from KL Sentral to the KL International Airport (KLIA).

"At the moment, KLIA Express has not been growing because even the traffic at the main terminal building has dropped to some extent," he told Bernama in an interview on the sidelines of the 14th World Route Development Forum here Sunday.

He said there was a 20 percent decline for the usage of KLIA Express since the opening of the LCCT in March 2006.

"We are affected because we have seen a lot of people switching from normal airlines to low cost carrier," he said, adding that the company is hoping to capture part of the Air Asias market.

He added ERL is looking at the Air Asias market, as they would probably constitute about 35 percent of the traffic at KLIA.

Aminuddin said that ERL is looking to selling its tickets worldwide and have started with Amadeus to market its service throughout the 300,000 Amadeus sales outlets in Europe.

Spain-based Amadeus is the leading Global Distribution System (GDS) and the biggest processor of travel bookings in the world.

"They are very strong in Europe. At the moment, we are almost finalising the legal arrangements with them and our technical people are already solving some technical issues," he said.

"We are looking at two to five percent (contribution from this partnership). This is a new market. So far, we notice more and more foreigners are taking our train. They are quite used to doing this in Europe," he added.

Source: BERNAMA

Press Release: NEW FLIGHTS FROM MALAYSIA

Monday 13/10/2008

October 13, 2008-- Malaysia Airports Continues To Attract New Routes To Its Five Largest Airports Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Kota Kinabalu, Kuching And Langkawi. Since The Beginning Of The Year, Malaysia Airports 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 High Oil Prices Is Having On The World's Airlines.

At Kuala Lumpur International Airport, national carrier Malaysia Airlines has started Karachi and Yogyakarta, whilst Asia's fastest growing low cost carrier Air Asia has launched Guangzhou, Yogyakarta, Singapore, Ho Chi Minh City, Hong Kong, Haikou, Guilin, Batam and Pekanbaru (Indonesia Air Asia). Air Asia's long haul sister company Air Asia X has launched Hangzhou and Gold Coast. Kuala Lumpur has also attracted two new low cost carriers on the deregulated Singapore route, Jetstar Asia and Tiger Airways.

Penang Airport has received three new routes from Sriwijaya Air and Indonesia Air Asia as well as increased frequencies from Cathay Pacific. In East Malaysia, Kota Kinabalu has gained four new air services: Jakarta, Denpasar (both operated by Indonesia Air Asia), Manila (Cebu Pacific) and Labuan (Air Asia). Indonesia Air Asia has also launched new services from Kuching to Jakarta and Denpasar.

Langkawi has attracted a number of new carriers operating short charter programmes, for example, Hong Kong Airlines has operated a short programme this summer to Hong Kong.

The rest of the year continues to look bright with another 7 destinations already announced to start before the end of the year. From Kuala Lumpur, Air Asia X will continue their network expansion to Australia starting services to Melbourne and Perth in November. Air Asia will start Tiruchirapally and Air Niugini, a new carrier to Kuala Lumpur, is planning to start new services to Papua New Guinea. Firefly will also start two new points from Penang to Medan and Banda Aceh.

There is not expected to be any new carriers on the fully deregulated KL - Singapore trunk route from 1st December 2008. However, Tiger and Air Asia have already announced considerable frequency increases with both carriers adding an additional 4 daily frequencies, Air Asia up to 6 daily from 2 daily and Tiger up to 5 daily from daily. This means there are an additional 56 weekly flights on top of the current 129 weekly flights between KL and Singapore, an increase of over 40%.

Dato' Seri Bashir Ahmad Abdul Majid, Managing Director of MAHB commented that "Malaysia Airports is also confident that during the Routes conference the airport group is close to completing negotiations with two to three new carriers to start operations into Malaysia before the end of the year, so watch this space!"


Notes:-

Malaysia Airports manages and operates 39 airports in Malaysia, including 5 international, 16 domestic and 18 Short Take-Off and Landing (STOL) airports. In 2007, Kuala Lumpur International Airports handled a total of 26.453 million passengers of which 16.965 million were international passengers. KLIA is capable of handling 35 million passengers and 1.2 million tonnes of cargo a year in its current phase. The Low Cost Carrier Terminal (LCCT-KLIA) is an extension of the existing facilities of the KLIA. It was opened in March 2006 and has a capacity of 10 million passengers annually. KLIA is an award-winning airport, with recent wins including World's Best Airport in the 15-25 million passengers per annum category and Second place in the Best Airport in the Overall Category and Best Airport in the Asia-Pacific category for the Airport Council International (ACI) 2007 Airport Service Quality Awards.


FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT :
NAME : NORLIZA KAMARUDDIN
GENERAL MANAGER CORPORATE COMMUNICATIONS
CELLPHONE: +6019-2000887
EMAIL : norliza@malaysiaairports.com.my

NAME : NOOR HAFIZA RUSLAN
MANAGER, COMMUNICATIONS & INFORMATION SERVICES,CORPORATE COMMUNICATIONS
CELLPHONE : +6012 - 211 4773
EMAIL : hafiza@malaysiaairports.com.my

NAME : FAISALLY AHMAD RUSDY
SENIOR EXECUTIVE (MEDIA RELATIONS), CORPORATE COMMUNICATIONS CELLPHONE : +6012-6846575
EMAIL : faisally@malaysiaairports.com.my

DATE OF RELEASE : 13 OCTOBER 2008
RELEASED BY BERNAMA MEDIA RELATIONS & EVENT MANAGEMENT

MAHB Aims To Bring Five Long-haul International Airlines To KLIA, Says Bashir

October 12, 2008 21:59 PM

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 12 (Bernama) -- Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB) aims to bring another four to five long-haul international airlines to KL International Airport (KLIA) from the 14th World Route Development Forum (Routes KL 2008).

Managing Director Datuk Seri Bashir Ahmad said MAHB would like to see more airlines from Europe and Africa such as British Airways, Air France and South African Airways to serve the KLIA.

Currently, 53 airlines are operating at KLIA, of which two are from Europe namely Lufthansa and KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, he said.

There were other airlines in Europe that were not flying to Kuala Lumpur and MAHB hoped they would look here as an important destination especially with the strong growing tourism sector in Malaysia, he told a press conference after opening the 14th World Route Development Forum (Routes KL 2008) here Sunday.

On when MAHB is expecting these airlines, Bashir said: "The airlines will decide based on their own financial viability but we will discuss how we can work together to make their services viable. Bashir said two airlines stopped serving KLIA in the past due to the economic crisis.

However, the Lufthansa German Airlines had come back, he said, expressing the hope that British Airways would also return soon.

Bashir said although KLIA was well covered from the regions, there was a gap in terms of long-haul flights.

"Regional airlines from Indonesia, the Philippines, Hong Kong, China, India and Middle East are already operating here and we hope they will increase their frequencies," he said.

Bashir said Routes KL 2008 was the opportunity for MAHB to start discussions with the airlines on these issues, he said, adding that MAHB would try to address each airlines' needs for marketing support and facilities.

Bashir said airports that are in an attractive tourist destination was one of the main driving factors to attract airlines easily.

When pointed out that Kota Kinabalu was an attractive destination for tourists, he said by next year the Kota Kinabalu International Airport would have a new terminal and an extended runway to cater for bigger aircraft to cope with the growing air traffic.

The three-day Routes KL 2008, hosted by MAHB, is attended by 2,500 delegates. It is the annual gathering of the route development industry offering formal and informal networking opportunities.

Source: BERNAMA

Malaysian airports: Bring back AirAsia to save KLIA

2008/08/11

By : AZMI ATAN, Petaling Jaya

The Low-Cost Carrier Terminal is seeing a surge in the number of passengers while the Kuala Lumpur International Airport looks deserted.

I WISH to make a comparison. On a recent trip to Bangkok, I landed at the Suvarnabhumi Airport. It was a great experience. It was money well spent.

I got to enjoy all the facilities at the new airport and I feel this is what passengers, irrespective of what airline they are flying, should get.

When I compare this with the Low-Cost Carrier Terminal, I feel shortchanged.

Yes, the LCCT is built for AirAsia and other low-budget carriers. But look at Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Sepang. With all AirAsia flights originating and terminating at the LCCT, KLIA looks deserted.

Passenger volume is not at its maximum although the facilities at the airport are world-standard.
Compared with Suvarnabhumi, KLIA is rather quiet and too peaceful.

It would have been better if AirAsia returns to KLIA so that more people will be able to enjoy the facilities.

More passengers also means good business for the commercial outlets at KLIA.

I have accepted the fact that the return of AirAsia to KLIA is almost impossible, especially with the construction of the new LCCT.

I just hope that the new terminal will give the passengers greater comfort and better facilities.

We are humans and not robots. We want to enjoy good facilities and comfort.

We would love to see many shops and outlets and spacious waiting areas.

Yes, we pay a small amount as far as airport tax is concerned, but I wonder what the point is of having a big, modern and world-standard airport when most of the passengers and activities are centred at the LCCT?

I still harbour a small hope that AirAsia flights will one day originate and terminate at KLIA to make the airport relevant and make air travel via budget carriers like AirAsia more comfortable and worthwhile.

Source: NST

Fly for price of bus ticket!

01 Feb 2007

KUALA LUMPUR: Almost a million more passengers thronged the arrival and departure halls of the Kuala Lumpur International Airport last year than in 2005.

About 24.1 million passengers went through the KLIA and the Low Cost Carrier Terminal that it launched in March last year.

That’s a four per cent increase over the 23.2 million passengers it saw in 2005, according to a preliminary report by Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad.

The LCCT alone saw 4.6 million passengers, about half of its capacity of 10 million.

"We never thought budget flying would become so big," said MAHB corporate communications general manager Norliza Kamaruddin.

"Low airfares spread like wildfire among travellers. Those who thought they would never be able to fly discovered that they could," she said.

So would a price war bring more flyers?

"Ten years ago, the majority of Malaysians travelled by bus, car or trains, those who had a little bit more money could fly with Malaysia Airlines," Norliza said.

"Now everyone can fly for the same price that they pay for a bus ticket. It all depends on how much you want to pay," she added.

That no-frill airlines are still the main draw is plain. MAHB is planning to expand the terminal’s capacity to 15 million passengers.

Source: NST

Penang International Airport Closed For More Than Two Hours

January 09, 2007 18:59 PM

PUTRAJAYA, Jan 9 (Bernama) -- The Penang International Airport, Tuesday was closed for more than two hours from 12.45pm until 3pm following a "very urgent repair work" after some gap was found at the airport runway, Transport Minister Datuk Seri Chan Kong Choy said Tuesday.

Chan said the gap occurred due to some resurfacing work at the airport runway that had been carried out between 1 and 6am, Tuesday.

"After the airport was opened for operation today, the airport official found some gap on the airport runway and this posed some danger especially to the bigger aircraft.

"This has prompted Malaysia Airports Berhad (MAB), the operator of the airport, to close down the runway for an urgent and immediate repair work since 12.15pm today," he told a news conference, here Tuesday.

Meanwhile in Penang, a MAB official met at the airport said that the first flight took off at 3pm right after the reopening of the airport.

He said five flights were delayed and two were cancelled, while a direct flight by China Airlines from Taipei was directed to KL International Airport following the short closure of the airport.

"The passengers of the plane (China Airlines) will be brought by road," he said, and did not want to elaborate further on the matter.

Meanwhile MAB Headquarters in Kuala Lumpur contacted here today said they will be issuing a statement later this evening.

Air Asia Station Manager for Penang Kenneth Tan told Bernama that two flights of the airline, AK6314 and AK6315, were delayed due to the closure of the airport, Tuesday.

The Airbus A320 from Kuala Lumpur - Penang which is expected to land at 2.30pm was delayed until 3.30pm, and this has caused a delay to its flight AK6315 which was supposed to leave Penang for Kuala Lumpur at 2.55pm to 3.53pm.

He said 250 passengers of the airline had been affected by the delay.

Meanwhile, MAB in a three-para statement issued this evening said that the runway of the airport had to be closed for safety reason as loose pebbles were discovered on the runway and repair works were carried out immediately.

The closure caused delays to Malaysia Airlines flights - MH653 from Penang to Singapore, MH1142/MH862 from Kuala Lumpur - Penang - Medan, MH1146/MH1147 Kuala Lumpur - Penang - Kuala Lumpur, MH1148/1149 Kuala Lumpur - Penang - Kuala Lumpur, MH1140/MH1141 Kuala Lumpur - Penang - Kuala Lumpur.

Other flights delayed by the closure are China Airlines CI673/674 Taipei - Penang - Taipei, Lion Air JT286/287 Medan - Penang - Medan, Air Asia AK6314/6315 Kuala Lumpur - Penang - Kuala Lumpur and a cargo flight FX024 (Fedex), it said.

MAB said Malaysia Airlines also cancelled two of its flights MH1140/MH1145 Kuala Lumpur - Penang - Kuala Lumpur and MH1150/MH1155 Kuala Lumpur - Penang -Kuala Lumpur.

"Malaysia Airports would like to apologise to all for the inconvenience caused by this closure," it said.

Source: BERNAMA

Keywords: Malaysia, Tourism Malaysia, Malaysia Tourism, Penang International Airport, Transport Minister, Chan Kong Choy, Malaysia Airports Berhad (MAB), China Airlines, KL International Airport (KLIA), Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Malaysia Airlines (MAS), Singapore, Medan, Taipei. Lion Air, Airbus A320

External Links:
KL International Airport - http://www.klia.com.my
Malaysia Airlines - http://www.malaysiaairlines.com

Mainland China Tourists Boost For VMY Malaysia 2007

December 30, 2006 22:48 PM

By Tham Choy Lin

BEIJING, Dec 30 (Bernama) -- The launch of Visit Malaysia Year 2007 will see many groups of mainland China tourists and journalists making a beeline for Kuala Lumpur and other destinations, in particular, beach resorts.

A check with Tourism Malaysia offices in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou revealed that thousands of Chinese tourists are expected in the month of January alone.

The first flight from China touching down at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport on New Year's Day will be a China Eastern carrier from Shanghai's Pudong Airport. It is scheduled to arrive at 12.30 am on Monday.

Shuhaimi Shaharuddin, Tourism Malaysia director in Guangzhou, said response from local tour operators was good following a series of promotional events and tie-ups with television stations.

"South China is traditionally the strong market for Malaysia. Several thousand tourists are estimated to travel to Malaysia in January via Guangzhou because we have 50 flights a week from here," he said.

Arrivals from Shanghai were very encouraging as well, said Wan Zawawi Mohammed, director of Tourism Malaysia there.

"In the first week of January, there will be 1,200 direct arrivals from Shanghai from one airline alone. Tour operators are also bringing in tourists directly or via other destinations. These will run into a few hundred visitors," he said.

He said tours to Langkawi and other beach resorts were a big attraction and a few groups would also attend the Floral Fest in Putrajaya on Jan 26.

Tourism Malaysia offices in the three Chinese cities have also arranged for more than a dozen television crews from Beijing and the provinces to attend the launch of VMY 2007 on Jan 6 at Taman Tasik Titiwangsa and to interesting spots in other parts of the country.

Michael Tay, Tourism Malaysia director in Beijing, has arranged for five TV crews from Beijing TV and the provinces of Shangdong, Tianjian, Hebei and Henan, and magazine writers to visit Malaysia in January.

From the south, five television crews including from Guangdong, Yunnan, Fujian and Hunan, would be coming. Yunnan TV will film five selected girls holidaying in Genting, Langkawi, Penang, Ipoh and Pangkor from Jan 6 to 13.

Tourism Malaysia in Shanghai has also secured five television broadcasters -- China Business News, Shanghai TV, Dragon TV, Nanjing TV and Hangzhou TV -- and print journalists from Chengdu and Chongqing.

China's growing affluence has made it a top market in the global tourism industry. Last year, 31 million mainlanders travelled abroad.

Source: BERNAMA

Keywords: Malaysia, Tourism Malaysia, Malaysia Tourism, Visit Malaysia Year 2007, VMY 2007, VMY'07, VMY2007

External Links:
Tourism Malaysia - http://www.tourismmalaysia.gov.my