Friday, March 24, 2017

Malaysia Airlines seeks new widebody planes as jets fill up

Peter Bellew said load factors - or how full its planes are - were 81 percent in January and 80 percent in February and that bookings for April, May and June were looking solid. "My problem now is I don't have enough seats and I don't have big enough aircraft," Bellew said in an interview in London, where he was meeting with an airline to discuss options to lease planes.
LONDON: Malaysia Airlines is looking to lease widebody planes to boost its network from next year and will make a decision on a order of new planes for delivery from 2019 later this year, the carrier's chief executive told Reuters.

Peter Bellew said load factors - or how full its planes are - were 81 percent in January and 80 percent in February and that bookings for April, May and June were looking solid.

"My problem now is I don't have enough seats and I don't have big enough aircraft," Bellew said in an interview in London, where he was meeting with an airline to discuss options to lease planes.

The national carrier is emerging from a turnaround after twin tragedies since 2014, when flight MH370 disappeared in what remains a mystery, and flight MH17 was shot down over eastern Ukraine.

He said Malaysia Airlines wanted to lease six A330s or 777s for use from 2018 and a further six for 2019 and that the carrier saw a good chance to get some good rates.

"Some airlines in the Middle East and Turkey have grounded aircraft so it's a good time for Malaysia Airlines to be looking for these type of aircraft," he said.

Bellew also said he planned to make a decision on an order for 25-30 new A330neo or 787 widebody planes by the end of the first half of this year to replace its A330s from the end of 2019.

The 787 would allow it to resume non-stop flights to Europe, but the pricing of either jet is not yet where Malaysia would like it to be, he said.

The restrictions announced this week on bringing larger consumer electronic devices into plane cabins on some routes from Middle Eastern and North African countries could also push some carriers to cancel aircraft orders, Bellew said, saying that it could impact business travel bookings.

"If you're not getting the business class seats filled up, you will end up not operating flights over time and then you won't need as many planes," he said.

Bellew said he expected the restrictions to create chaos for the first few days, but also impact demand for travel to the United States.

"In a strange way, it could benefit us. There is no hassle coming to Malaysia," he added.
 
Source: Reuters | 23 March 2017

MAS mulls deals for 42 jets as 'things are going better a bit quicker'

Bellew: “Things have gone a bit better a bit quicker than I expected,” said Bellew, an Irishman who became MAS CEO last July after joining as chief operating officer in 2015, following nine years at Dublin-based discount specialist Ryanair Holdings Plc. “We’re ahead of where we hoped we would be.” - Bernama
LONDON: Malaysia Airlines Bhd (MAS) plans to seal deals for as many as 42 wide-body jets over the next few months as the unprofitable carrier seeks to rebuild its long-haul network following a surge in demand.

Terms should be agreed in the next six to eight weeks for the lease of up to a dozen used Airbus Group SE A330 or Boeing Co 777 aircraft, chief executive officer Peter Bellew said in an interview.

That could be followed later in the first half by an order for 25 to 30 new Boeing 787s or A330neos, as the upgraded Airbus model is known, potentially worth more than US$7bil.

Bellew is looking to expand wide-body operations after MAS slashed its fleet and route network in response to a bookings slump that followed two fatal plane crashes in 2014. Sales have now recovered to the extent that the carrier posted an 81% load factor in the fourth quarter of 2016, including a 90% occupancy rate in December, when it made money.

“Things have gone a bit better a bit quicker than I expected,” said Bellew, an Irishman who became MAS CEO last July after joining as chief operating officer in 2015, following nine years at Dublin-based discount specialist Ryanair Holdings Plc. “We’re ahead of where we hoped we would be.”

The Asian carrier needs the leased jets mainly to replace single-aisle Boeing 737s on 10 or 11 medium-haul routes that are capable of supporting wide-bodies, including services to India, Bali and Hong Kong, Bellew said. The plan has become attractive after hire rates fell 15% in 3½ months, he said.

MAS is also rapidly adding new routes to China, with nine due this year and another eight in 2018, taking the total to 24. The expansion, part of a plan to make Malaysia a top destination for Chinese tourists, reflects a recovery in bookings that collapsed after the disappearance of Flight MH370 while en route to Beijing from Kuala Lumpur.

Bellew said he would seek to take half a dozen leased wide-bodies in the first half of next year, followed by the same number in 2019, all about six years old. A330s would be the obvious choice, though 777s would allow the carrier to add longer routes, perhaps reinstating a service to Amsterdam, he said.

The 25 or more new jets that Bellew is evaluating would likely be bought direct from Airbus or Boeing and would join the fleet between 2019 and 2023, with 15 replacing older aircraft and the rest for expansion. The re-engined A330neo comes in two sizes advertised at US$255mil and $291 million before discounts, while the 787 Dreamliner has three variants priced between US$225mil and US$306mil.

The airline is also poised to take delivery of six Airbus A350 wide-bodies, allowing it to move the same number of A380 superjumbos to a new sister carrier specialising in carrying people on the haj and umrah pilgrimages.

With A350 handovers delayed by a shortage of interior fittings at Airbus, the first plane is due a couple of months late in November or December, Bellew said. All should arrive by June 2018, after which the A380s will be refitted to allow their capacity to be varied between 635 and 720 seats, with the airline commencing operations in December of that year.

Dubbed Project Hope, the startup has yet to be given a permanent name, though most of its management team will be approved at a board meeting next week, Bellew said, adding that a CEO has yet to be chosen but will almost certainly be a Malaysian. Long-term support deals have been struck with Airbus and engine maker Rolls-Royce Holdings Plc and that could extend to investment in the venture next year, he said.

MAS had a loss last year that was less than half the internal forecast, it said March 1, and aims to reduce the deficit by more than half this year before becoming “consistently profitable” from 2018. 
 
Source: Bloomberg | 24 March 2017

Thursday, March 23, 2017

Lapangan Terbang Antarabangsa Langkawi mampu urus 5 juta penumpang

Lapangan Terbang Antarabangsa Langkawi.
LANGKAWI: Lapangan Terbang Antarabangsa Langkawi yang akan dinaik taraf pada tahun ini dijangka mampu menampung kedatangan pelancong kepada lima juta orang setahun.

Menteri Pengangkutan, Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai berkata, ketika ini lapangan terbang berkenaan telah mencatatkan kapasiti kedatangan pelancong maksimum iaitu antara 2.5 hingga 2.7 juta orang setahun.

Kata beliau, dengan menaik taraf lapangan terbang itu nanti diharap mampu menarik kedatangan pelancong lebih ramai ke pulau bebas cukai itu pada masa depan.

“Syabas kepada semua yang terlibat dalam merealisasikan hasrat kerajaan untuk menjadikan Langkawi sebagai destinasi pelancongan terkemuka negara,” katanya.

Beliau berkata demikian ketika berucap melancarkan destinasi penerbangan antarabangsa AirAsia terbaharu di pulau berkenaan iaitu Langkawi ke Shenzhen, China sempena Pameran Udara dan Maritim Antarabangsa Langkawi 2017 (LIMA ‘17), hari ini.

Destinasi itu adalah yang ketiga selepas Singapura dan Guangzhou, China. Yang turut hadir Ketua Pegawai Eksekutif Air Asia Bhd., Aireen Omar.

Dalam pada itu, Tiong Lai memberitahu, AirAsia telah menyumbang kedatangan pelancong berjumlah 1.7 juta orang sepanjang tahun lalu.
 
Sumber: Utusan Malaysia | Nasional | 22 Mac 2017 | Terbitan 23 Mac 2017

Wednesday, March 22, 2017

Kelantan proposes new airport in Machang

Kelantan State Legislative Assembly
KOTA BHARU: The Kelantan Government has proposed to the Federal Government the construction of a new airport of international standard at Bagan Estet, Machang, said chairman of the State Infrastructure, Utility and Information Technology Committee, Datuk Hanifa Ahmad.

He said Machang was chosen as the site because it was a strategic area located in the middle of Kelantan, besides being close to Pasir Puteh which has the Tok Bali Supply Base.

“Upgrading the Sultan Ismail Petra Airport (LTSIP) is impossible because according to the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP), an area of 800 up to 1,200 hectares of land is needed to build an international airport.

“If the LTSIP is to be upgraded into an international airport, there will be difficulty because it involves the acquisition of land including the 21st Royal Malay Regiment (RAMD) camp and Taman Bendahara,” he said at the Kelantan State Legislative Assembly sitting at Kompleks Kota Darul Naim, here today.

He said this when replying to a supplementary question from Ahmad Fathan Mahmood@Mahamad who asked whether the new LTSIP would become an international airport.

Earlier, Ahmad Fathan had asked on the latest status on the LTSIP expansion project in Pengkalan Chepa, here.

Source: Bernama | 22 March 2017

Sunday, March 19, 2017

Projek naik taraf Lapangan Terbang Sultan Azlan Shah bermula Jun ini

Lapangan Terbang Sultan Azlan Shah, Ipoh, Perak. Foto ihsan: Kementerian Pengangkutan Malaysia
SEPANG: Kerajaan Negeri Perak menyambut baik keputusan Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad (MAHB) untuk menaik taraf Lapangan Terbang Sultan Azlan Shah, Ipoh bermula Jun ini.

Pengerusi Jawatankuasa Pelancongan, Kebudayaan, Komunikasi dan Multimedia negeri, Datuk Nolee Ashilin Mohamed Radzi berkata, menaik taraf tersebut melibatkan kerja-kerja memperluaskan kaunter daftar masuk dan penambahan ruang menunggu.

"Lapangan Terbang Sultan Azlan Shah menyaksikan pertambahan 32 peratus penumpang pada tahun lalu setelah menerima empat penerbangan antarabangsa dan dua domestik pada setiap hari.

"Kita berharap menerusi usaha sebegini dapat menaikkan imej pelancongan di Perak, sekali gus dapat menambah kehadiran pelancong," katanya ketika ditemui selepas majlis pelancaran Joyful Malaysia Bersama Tourism Perak di Terminal KLIA 2, Lapangan Terbang Antarabangsa Kuala Lumpur (KLIA) di sini hari ini.

Yang hadir sama Pengarah Urusan MAHB, Datuk Badlisham Ghazali. Menurut Nolee Ashilin, usaha tersebut dijangka dapat mencapai sasaran 8.5 juta pelancong antarabangsa dan domestik ke negeri itu sempena Tahun Melawat Perak 2017.

"Dengan kerjasama daripada MAHB dan Lembaga Pemasaran Pertanian Persekutuan (FAMA), kerajaan negeri Perak boleh menyediakan kemudahan terbaik kepada pelancong dan memperkenalkan makanan tradisional negeri seperti rendang tok," katanya. 

Sumber: Utusan Online | 18 Mac 2017

Saturday, March 18, 2017

MAS upbeat on China market, set to add 8 new routes there by Oct

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia Airlines Bhd (MAS) is opening up eight new routes to China, adding to the existing 17, says chief executive officer Peter Bellew.

The new routes are to Chengdu, Wuhan, Nanjing, Chongqing, Fuzhou, Shenzhen, Haikou and Tianjin.

“That’s the largest number of new routes that the company has started in the history of Malaysia Airlines,” he told the New Straits Times and Berita Harian yesterday.

“We’ve never done anything like that before. So it’s a huge expansion for us. I think China is going to be a massive growth market for tourism,” he said.

Bellew said the new routes would not just fly out from Kuala Lumpur. Some will be from Kota Kinabalu, Kuching and Penang.

The first two new routes had already started, the third would start by end of this month, and the others were scheduled between now and October, he said during a visit to The New Straits Times Press Bhd (NSTP) at the Balai Berita, here, yesterday.

Bellew and his team also met with Media Prima Bhd group managing director Datuk Seri Amrin Awaluddin, NSTP chief executive officer Datuk Abdul Jalil Hamid and Harian Metro group editor Datuk Mustapa Omar.

“I’m​ a huge believer in print advertising. We’ve run a number of campaigns with Media Prima and it was a huge boost to Malaysia Airlines.

“Old-fashioned print advertising works extremely well in the country. People still read newspapers. We’ll be investing millions of ringgit in the next twelve months with Media Prima,” said Bellew.

It has been three years since the national carrier was delisted from Bursa Malaysia by parent Khazanah Nasional and supplanted by MAS.

Bellew, who is on a three-year contract, said his main task is to make the national carrier profitable by next year, ahead of a planned relisting in 2019. 

In reinstating more routes for MAS, Bellew is on a mission to get new aircraft.

We are looking at Airbus A330 and Boeing 787. Ideally, if we can get some more wide-body aircraft next year, that would give Malaysia Airlines a boost, making it more luxurious and giving it a more premium feel.”

“Malaysia Airlines was the pride of the nation previously and we were accorded five stars from Skytrax World Airline Rating for eight or nine years before 2013.

We’re going to work very hard for the next 12 months to get that back. That’s the goal I’ve set myself,” Bellew added.

Source: New Straits Times | Business | 18 March 2017

Saturday, March 4, 2017

MAS in recovery mode

WHEN Peter Bellew asked to meet at an ordinary cafe in Sri Hartamas for an interview, it was in some ways a reflection of the job he is doing at Malaysia Airlines Bhd (MAS).

There is little need for fanfare and glitz. It is about getting on with the job, which he has been doing with his sleeves rolled up and trying to fix the many problems at the national airline.

There are no airs about this man and he is very much about getting the job done.

When Bellew took over the top post at MAS on July 1 last year, MAS was still a work in progress. All was not well, but there was some momentum with the business.

There was a lack of oomph, or a sales push, as he puts it.

His retort to that challenge was “we will fix it.’’ But the fixing of a battered airline was not just in its balance sheet. It was about putting people on the seats of its planes, and over the subsequent quarters, MAS, in airline terms, was taxiing on the runway.

The ambers of optimism are there. MAS is eking out a profit, albeit a small one, but it is still early days. With recovery mode in its business well underway, there are grounds for Bellew to feel that the problems at MAS are being fixed.

From virtually empty planes at the end of 2014, months after MAS suffered two air disasters, the airline recorded its best month for passenger loads at 91% in December. That was the first time in more than five years that its planes were filled to such an extent, although the month of December is generally good for airlines.

“At 91%, our loads in that month were higher than some of the other airlines such as Singapore Airlines (SIA), Garuda, Thai Airways and even British Airways,’’ Bellew tells StarBizWeek.

Ending 2016 with 13.9 million passengers from 13 million a year earlier, Bellew is gunning for 15 million passengers this year and loads of over 80%. As at end-2016, its loads were 74% from 70% a year earlier.

From flying near-empty planes after the twin disasters to one where most airlines would love, demand for travel on the airline has created a new problem, which shows that it is taking steps towards recovery.

Bellew recognised a need for more planes to cater for growth in several markets such as China, India, Japan, Taiwan, Korea and Asean. He needs wide-body aircraft so the airline can carry more passengers to capitalise on ballooning demand. The bulk of the current fleet is narrow-body that seats 160 passengers, while the wide-body planes can shuttle 284 people on a flight.

MAS’ fleet comprises 54 B737 narrow-body aircraft, 15 wide-body aircraft and six A380 that seats 486.

“To restore the wide-body on the routes is not a huge risk, as we have many of the routes operating well over 80% loads. We have more bookings than we can fly, forward bookings are very strong,’’ he says.

Bellew says the airline has 50% more forward bookings from February to July this year from 2016, and business class demand has doubled.

While South-East Asia is an area of tough competition, Bellew does not intend to cut prices on the fares MAS charges. It is a departure from past practices when it needed to fill its planes at the expense of yields.

The one reason for improvement is the turnaround of its biggest problem. The MH370 tragedy saw passengers from the China market dry up, but now, they have returned to fly with MAS.

A marketing blitz there has helped and MAS is selling more seats on the routes to China and is adding a second flight to Shanghai and other destinations such as Haikou, Nanjing, Wuhan and Fuzhou.

“They love to fly with us, as the minute they get on board they feel they are in Malaysia. The China business is fantastic and we wish we had 10 more planes,’’ he says.

There are several options for new planes, but he would rather wait till a “good deal” comes around. But by the end of this year, MAS will have its additional planes and is taking delivery of the A350 that will be used for the London route. The A380 that is used on the route now will be retrofitted to cater for Umrah and Haj flights.

We need six more wide-body aircraft, the A330 or the B787, but lately, the B777 is emerging and we could look at it too,’’ he adds.

But over the next three to four years, MAS needs to get 35-36 wide-body aircraft to reduce its dependence on narrow-body aircraft.

It would be cheaper to operate the wide-body and we can either buy or lease them. Leasing allows us to jumpstart to speed without financial risks. There are many routes like Hong Kong, Bali and India where we can add seats,’’ Bellew says.

Going forward, he is talking about adding a touch of “luxury to the airline.’’ He is also talking about MAS being “cool, fun and exciting.’’ He wants MAS to scale the Skytrax ratings charts again as he positions the airline as “a five-star premium airline’’ over the next 12-18 months.

Can MAS do all that when its rivals such as SIA and Cathay Pacific are facing tough times?

Still in the red

After six months on the job, Bellew says MAS turned in a profit for the final quarter of 2016. However, the airline feels a full-year profit will come in 2018 and thereafter it will be listed in early 2019.

It was the second time last year the airline reported a profit. The first was in February 2016 with RM14mil and in the last quarter of the year. There are no numbers available for the last quarter, only that it saved RM130mil in cost savings.

“The airline finished 49% ahead of our budgeted loss for the year 2016,’’ he says.

Revenue-wise, MAS is said to have made RM8.5bil in 2016.

“The reasons for the change is that we drove cost savings harder and our commercial strategy changed, all this worked. The visibility of the brand increased in the second half of 2016,’’ he says.

MAS’ last full-year results reported were in 2013 when its revenue was at RM15.1bil and total expenditure at RM16.3bil, hence reporting a net loss of RM1.1bil. It flew 20.7 million passengers with passenger loads of 76.7%. For the first nine months of 2014, MAS posted a net loss of RM1.32bil and was de-listed on Dec 31 the same year. Then, it was a much bigger airline than now.

From 2001 to June 2014, MAS chalked up cumulative net adjusted losses of RM8.4bil. From 2011-2013, a total of RM17.4bil has been funded by the Government to save the airline.

Essentially, MAS has spent more than it makes and under a massive remake of the national airline, it shed 6,000 jobs and cut 30% of its routes to become a regional carrier, with London being its only long-haul route.

Although it has made spurts of operating profit, 2016 was yet another year of losses. Profit might come next year, but the ringgit’s strength will determine if it makes a marginal profit this year. A stronger ringgit will help as 63% of its fuel, a big cost for airlines, is hedged at US$60 a barrel. To offset the dollar’s strength, MAS is looking at RM400mil in cost savings for this year.

When MAS did its budget in November last year, the ringgit was at RM4.1 against the dollar, but now it is at about RM4.45. That means its budget is higher by about RM400mil as it stands now.

Cost cuts are his priority, even though MAS is done with the bigger-cost items. Now, it is pretty much the nitty-gritty.

Doing that is part of what Bellew is trained for. He hails from Ryanair - Europe’s biggest low-cost airline - and has a nose for saving cost. He is so accustomed to checking everything and when one purchase order came by last week, he rejected it.

“It came across my desk and I asked why we needed it. We are not buying any more rubber stamp chops even if you get promoted,” he says of one example.

“I go through everything and that is the only way to ensure we are keeping a check on cost. Hopefully, in 12 to 18 months, everyone would have got the message that we need to be cost-conscious all the time. It is all about paying attention to details and discipline.”

He adds that “our unit cost is getting down, it can get lower, but without impacting our customers,’’ he adds.

A touch of luxury

One of the biggest reasons why MAS is getting back traffic even after two big hits is the amount of improvement it has done to its products, and how much it has pushed for brand visibility. Another plus is that its fares are seen to be reasonable.

“I would rather fly with them, as it is all-inclusive fares and you arrive at a decent time in a city,’’ says an avid traveller.

But all that did not come without a shake-up at the sales and marketing units.

Bellew had to change the way they sold their tickets and says, “The sales and marketing teams are working quicker with the support of travel agents in Malaysia, Asean and London, and there is recovery on all the routes.

“That is a significant difference, but I had to personally apologise to several travel agents because of the way they were treated in the past. I told them we will work with them and they are being offered the same rates as our online rates,’’ Bellew says.

There is more visibility to its branding, and as he believes, the traditional way of selling themselves via advertisements - press, digital, outdoor, etc - has brought recovery.

He is appointing a new sales head soon and but does say that “a big part was actually the great support he got from the media, be it locally, regionally and internationally, and that helped regain ground.’’

Though he was criticised by some for opting to sponsor the Liverpool Football Club last year, the MAS brand does appear in millions of homes every time Liverpool plays a home match.

The Liverpool partnership had a bigger impact than I expected. It raised awareness on MAS and has done quite a bit of repair on the brand in the UK,’’ he says.

He says the additional revenues generated from the UK market, where it has seen a recovery of its London flights, have more than paid for the cost of sponsorship for Liverpool.

Market share-wise, MAS has gained on the London route from about 45% May last year to about 61%-62% now.

MAS during its worst times flew virtually empty planes to London in an aircraft that can seat 486 people, but now has seen better days. Passenger loads on the London route has improved to about 80% now.

It had also lost a lot of traffic to Singapore, as people preferred to fly via Singapore to London and other destinations, including those in Asia.

“We won all that (London traffic via Singapore) back and are picking up quite a bit of business from Singapore for those travelling to Europe on others places in Asia,’’ he says.

He adds that “we have seen an incredible recovery in our Asean flights, Bangkok, Vietnam and many others and the fact that we achieved 90% loads in December proves one thing - there is nothing wrong with the brand name. I am convinced nothing is wrong with the brand, its name and nothing wrong with our proposition, though there was a debate going on last year to change the brand”.

The Australian market, which MAS has been often blamed for dropping fares, has seen traffic recovery, but he cautions that the second half of 2017 would be a tough period.

“We see a very difficult second half, as Malindo Air is trying to get slots to fly to Sydney and Melbourne. We have more than 50% of our passengers connecting to KL going all around the place, but (the entry of another player) will still dilute the overall market even though it is great news for consumers,’’ he says.

He feels there will be significant overcapacity on the Sydney and Melbourne routes, but MAS will keep clear of the fare war and foresees fares falling by RM100. Even if MAS does drop its fares, it will still be somewhat affected.

“Competition will be in all markets, in some overcapacity exists, but we will maintain our fares and not drop fares. We don’t have extra charges, so we believe we offer good value,’’ he says.

As at the fourth quarter of 2016, its average fare was RM484 per passenger.

Globally, many premium players are also unbundling fares, selling seats, food and other things separately to boost ancillary income. He wants to boost ancillary income but not by unbundling fares.

“Our proposition is all-inclusive fares. We will not unbundle, but are trying to make the experience nicer and put luxury back. That is the push in the next 12 months,’’ he says.

His to-do list for this year is pretty long and he is talking about creating something that is sustainable beyond 2017-18 and beyond.

“We have to be much better and put more focus on customers. We also want to improve service levels, punctuality, and the ratio of delivery of bags. We are also working with Brahim’s Group (their food caterer) on the quality of food and they need to move faster,’’ he says.

The airline will also emphasise on greater flexibility in processes and simplify them, and empower the front-end of his team to be able to fix things immediately. A lab has been created to bring back the “cool, fun and exciting’’ buzz for MAS travellers.

But he knows the biggest challenge for him and his team is MAS losing its focus and becoming complacent. “We do not want to lose taxpayers’ money,’’ he says.

Source: The Star | Business | 4 March 2017

Najib: Runway extension for Sandakan Airport to boost tourism industry

Sandakan Airport. Photo credit: Ministry of Transport Malaysia (MOT)
SANDAKAN: The runway at Sandakan airport will be extended to allow for larger aircrafts to land, thus bringing more tourists into the district.

In announcing this, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak said value management was being carried out to determine the contract price.

“I have asked the Transport Minister (Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai) to speed this up and I will launch the runway extension in my next visit to Sandakan.

This (extension) will accommodate bigger aircrafts like the Airbus 330, so direct and chartered flights especially from China can land in Sandakan,” he told reporters this after his walkabout at the Harbour City, here.

Najib said the new development would bring positive economic impact to the district and further boost the state’s tourism industry.

Last year, Sabah recorded 3.43 million tourist arrivals and RM7.25 billion tourism receipts.

Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman and his wife Datin Seri Fardidah Tussin, Deputy Chief Minister cum State Industrial Development Minister Datuk Raymond Tan Shu Kiah, and State Special Tasks Minister Datuk Teo Chee Kang were among those present at the walkabout.

Source: New Straits Times | 3 March 2017

Malaysia Airlines 'aggressively hedging' as it sees oil hike

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia Airlines Bhd projects oil prices will increase to about US$70 a barrel toward the end of this year and has aggressive fuel hedging in place as the money-losing national carrier seeks to return to profitable operations.

“At the moment we are hedged about 65 per cent of the current year at about a little bit north of US$60,” Chief Executive Officer Peter Bellew said in a Bloomberg TV interview with Haidi Lun on Friday.

“We are quite aggressively hedging 12 months ahead on a quarter-to-quarter basis and taking a fairly prudent approach to it.”

Malaysia Airlines is projecting a return to what Bellew calls “more consistent profitability” in 2018 following an expected loss this year as it fills a larger portion of seats amid demand from markets leading with China. The ringgit’s depreciation against the dollar since Donald Trump won the US presidential election in November is a big concern for Malaysia Airlines, the CEO said. 

The Malaysian currency, which has weakened more than 5 per cent since the US election, may strengthen over the next six to nine months, helping to bolster the carrier’s earnings, Bellew said.

Crude oil futures were trading at US$52.66 a barrel as of 12.35pm in Singapore.

Demand for seats on Malaysia Airlines plunged after the carrier lost two planes in 2014, with one vanishing over the Indian Ocean en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing and another shot down over Ukraine.

Chinese passengers have since returned to Malaysia Airlines, making the country its strongest market now, Bellew said. The carrier still needs more wide body planes to carry the influx of tourists from China to Malaysia and is projecting to fly as many as five million Chinese travellers in three to four years, he said.

My problem with Chinese is I don’t have enough aircraft right now to operate flights there,” Bellew said.

“We are seeing no problems with our brand or reputation among Chinese nationals.”

There are some bargains in the aircraft market now and Malaysia Airlines may add six to seven planes in 2018, Bellew said.

It’s in talks with Boeing Co. on the 787 aircraft while negotiating with Airbus SE on the A330 neo, he said.

Source: Bloomberg | 3 March 2017

Friday, March 3, 2017

PM umum landasan Lapangan Terbang Sandakan akan dipanjangkan

Najib melambai tangan kepada orang ramai ketika membuat tinjauan mesra di Harbour Square pada Jumaat.
SANDAKAN: Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak pada Jumaat mengumumkan landasan Lapangan Terbang Sandakan akan dipanjangkan bagi membolehkan pesawat penerbangan terus dan sewa dari China mendarat.

Perdana Menteri berkata pada masa ini pengurusan nilai sedang dilakukan untuk menentukan harga kontrak.

"Saya sudah minta Menteri Pengangkutan (Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai) menentukan harga kontrak dan minta disegerakan.

"Saya bercadang melancarkan projek ini dalam lawatan ke Sandakan akan datang," katanya kepada pemberita ketika melakukan tinjauan mesra di Harbour Square Sandakan, di sini.

Najib berkata melalui projek ini, ia akan membolehkan penerbangan terus menggunakan pesawat lebih besar seperti Airbus 330 untuk mendarat.

Katanya penerbangan terus atau sewa dari negara China boleh mendarat di Lapangan Terbang Sandakan.

"Kita tidak menyentuh bangunan terminal dan bagi segerakan projek ini maka kita beri tumpuan kepada kontrak memanjangkan landasan," katanya.

Perdana menteri percaya ini akan memberikan banyak impak kepada ekonomi di Sandakan.

Katanya ramai pelancong dan pelawat akan datang ke Sandakan yang membolehkan daerah ini akan lebih maju pada masa akan datang.

Sumber: Bernama | 3 Mac 2017

Najib: Federal Govt approves Sandakan Airport runway extension

Najib (middle in white shirt) launching a housing project in Lupak Meluas in Sandakan.
SANDAKAN: The Federal Government has approved the extension of the airport runway here to provide for better international connection to Sabah's east coast gateway.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said work on the extension of the runway would be carried out as soon as possible to facilitate international and chartered flights into Sandakan.

“It will help boost the economy as well as tourism for Sandakan and areas around it,” he told reporters after a walkabout at the seafront Sandakan Harbour Square here.

Najib said he has spoken to Transport Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai about the matter and aspects of value management of the contrct were being worked out.

He said an extended runway would help larger aircraft to land in Sandakan. “International chartered flights from China can boost the local economy and tourism,” he said.

Najib also unveiled an “I love Sandakan” billboard at the square, as local residents tried to shake his hands or catch a glimpse of the Prime Minister who was on an overnight visit to the east coast town.

Local community leaders had raised the need for more direct flights from China with Najib.

Source: The Star Online | Nation | 3 March 2017