THE arrival of two new ATR 72-600s for Firefly Sdn Bhd by the end of
this year is set to see the airline increasing the frequency of
existing flights and adding new routes, both locally and in the region.
Apart from Penang and Subang, currently serving as Firefly hubs,
Johor will soon be made the third one. The airline is also setting its
sights on the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia to establish a fourth
one.
Besides that a potential destination to be added is
Vietnam, while new airports in Indonesia and Thailand are being
explored, Firefly chief executive officer Ignatius Ong said.
Existing and profitable routes from airports like Penang and Kota Bharu
are likely to see an increase in frequency of flights, along with
Singapore's Changi airport.
Ong said as Firefly evolves from a community airline into a premium
one, a fleet replacement of the ATR 72-500 planes will likely commence
from 2015 or 2016. He did not rule out the possibility of returning to offering jet operations.
"We intend to use all our aircraft to compete aggressively with anyone who is on the (aviation) scene," he said. "Firefly welcomes competition so long as the other players compete ethically and do not compromise on safety.
"While we intend to continue using turbo-propeller planes for our
operations, I am not saying no to flying the jets (again) although the
jets will prove to be a very competitive market for us to operate in,"
he added.
Parent company, Malaysia Airlines, in December last
year inked a RM3 billion deal to purchase 36 new ATR planes for Firefly
and MASwings. Firefly will take on 20 aircraft and is expected to take delivery of its first new plane next month.
Ong said the proposed aircraft replacement programme is aimed at
keeping Firefly's fleet young while ensuring that maintenance costs are
lowered and safety remains a priority to all passengers.
He
also said that since business flyers make up the bulk of Firefly's
passengers, the airline is looking to tap into the leisure market by
offering value-added packages during the weekends.
This
includes the introduction of day-trip food, shopping or heritage package
from Subang to Penang over the weekend - in which a passenger will be
given a rental car for six hours to explore either the island's famed
hawker food, heritage trails or shopping malls.
"We embarked on a rebranding exercise last year, which has so far seen the introduction of new uniforms for the cabin crew. "Other changes like a new aircraft logo will be introduced, although we will maintain the existing Firefly logo and livery.
"Through all these, safety will remain our top priority as we continue
to leverage on the safety protocol adhered by our parent company,
Malaysia Airlines, by not cutting corners," Ong added.
He also
said that added frequencies would be introduced to destinations like
Johor and Langkawi in response to continued developments in the Iskandar
Development Region.
"As for Langkawi, we are anticipating
greater demand for flights to the island as development ramps up and
connectivity is needed by not only tourists but also service providers
of contraction and other companies."
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