Tiada keperluan panjangkan landasan Lapangan Terbang Melaka dengan kos RM200 juta lebih

Lapangan Terbang 'Antarabangsa' Melaka (LTM) yang sebenarnya tidak diiktiraf sebagai sebuah lapangan terbang antarabangsa oleh Kerajaan Persekutuan.

KUALA LUMPUR: Kerajaan Persekutuan diminta lebih rasional dengan tidak meluluskan peruntukan untuk pemanjangan landasan Lapangan Terbang Melaka (LTM) seperti mana yang dimohon oleh Kerajaan Negeri Melaka di bawah Rancangan Malaysia Kesebelas (RMK11: 2016 - 2020).

Hal ini kerana LTM bukanlah sebuah lapangan terbang yang sibuk dan maju bahkan merupakan lapangan terbang yang paling tidak maju di Semenanjung Malaysia dari segi jumlah pengendalian pesawat komersial, penumpang, dan juga kargo.

Mengapakah perlu diberi perhatian sangat bagi lapangan terbang ini? Pelancongan kesihatan? Pelancongan kesihatan merupan alasan klise Kerajaan Negeri Melaka sejak sekian lama tetapi hakikatnya setakat ini berapa ramai sangatkah pesakit dari Sumatera yang terbang ke Melaka untuk berbuat demikian?

Jika benarlah besar jumlahnya, udah pasti beberapa syarikat penerbangan dari Indonesia yang pernah menawarkan perkhidmatan bagi laluan Pekanbaru - Melaka akan menambah kekerapan mereka. Apa yang berlaku, mereka menamatkan perkhidmatan tersebut setelah beberapa bulan diperkenalkan.  

RM240 juta sudah dibazirkan 

Di bawah Rancangan Malaysia Kesembilan (RMK9: 2006 - 2010), Kerajaan Persekutuan telah membelanjakan RM240 juta untuk projek naik taraf LTM yang melibatkan pemanjangan landasan, pembinaan bangunan terminal dan menara kawalan baharu, serta kemudahan navigasi penerbangan. 

Setelah RM240 juta dibelanjakan oleh Kerajaan Persekutuan, LTM masih gagal untuk menarik minat syarikat penerbangan tempatan dan serantau untuk beroperasi dari lapangan terbang ini. 

Secara perbandingan, di bawah RMK9 projek naik taraf Lapangan Terbang Sultan Ismail Petra Kota Bharu (LTSIP) hanya diberikan peruntukan sejumlah RM45.5 juta sahaja. 

Tidak pandai menari, jangan salahkan lantai jongkang-jongket 

Pada ketika ini, hanya syarikat penerbangan Malindo Air yang beroperasi di LTM yang menawarkan perkhidmatan ke Pulau Pinang dan Pekanbaru pada setiap hari Ahad, Isnin, Rabu, dan Jumaat sahaja dengan menggunakan pesawat jenis ATR72-600 dengan kapasiti 72 tempat duduk. Dengan kata lain, tiada operasi penerbangan komersial pada hari Selasa, Khamis, dan Sabtu.

Dalam pada itu, Kerajaan Negeri Melaka tidak perlulah beri alasan itu ini supaya landasan lapangan terbang ini dipanjangkan. Hakikatnya, operasi pesawat berkipas pun tidak lepas.

Berdasarkan statistik penumpang tahunan dari 2005 - 2014, paling tinggi LTM mengendalikan 34,355 orang penumpang setahun pada tahun 2012, manakala pada tahun 2014 LTM mengendalikan 14,178 orang penumpang sahaja berbanding 1.8 juta penumpang yang dikendalikan LTSIP dalam tempoh yang sama.

Tiada keperluan pemanjangan landasan 

Landasan LTM sedia ada dengan kepanjangan 2,135 meter (m) sudah cukup untuk menampung pendaratan dan pelepasan pesawat jenis ATR72, B737-400, dan juga A320-200 yang biasa digunakan oleh syarikat penerbangan Firefly dan Malindo Air (ATR72) dan juga AirAsia (A320-200). 

Pemanjangan landasan LTM daripada 2,135 m kepada 2,508 m dengan melibatkan kos melebihi RM200 juta merupakan suatu pembaziran besar kerana LTM bukanlah sebuah lapangan terbang yang berpotensi untuk menjadi hab penerbangan antarabangsa.

Jadi atas alasan apa untuk panjangkan landasan LTM? Maju sangatkah LTM? Sibuk sangatkah LTM? Bukankah pemanjangan landasan LTSIP dari 2,400 m kepada 3,800 m yang sepatutnya diberikan keutamaan oleh Kerajaan Persekutuan?

Sumber: Kota Bharu Airport Blog | www.kotabharuairport.blogspot.my

Bacaan tambahan: 

1. Expansion of airport top on Malacca's Budget 2016 wishlist 
2. Brand new airport but no flights

Laluan Kota Bharu - Pulau Langkawi: Firefly sasar 300 penumpang seminggu

Ignatius (kiri) menyampaikan replika pesawat kepada Mukhriz simbolik perasmian penerbangan pertama Firefly dari Kota Bharu terus ke Langkawi, disaksikan Khalid.

SYARIKAT penerbangan tambang murah, FlyFirefly Sdn Bhd (Firefly) menyasarkan sejumlah 300 penumpang seminggu bagi penerbangan terus antara Kota Bharu dan Langkawi dengan harga tiket serendah RM49 bermula 27 Oktober hingga 1 November nanti.

Ketua Pegawai Eksekutifnya, Ignatius Ong berkata, angka itu dijangka meningkat ketika waktu kemuncak seperti musim perayaan dan cuti sekolah.

Beliau berkata, buat permulaan, Firefly memperkenalkan perkhidmatan berkenaan sebanyak tiga kali seminggu iaitu pada Selasa, Khamis dan Sabtu serta tawaran itu mungkin meningkat kepada penerbangan setiap hari bergantung maklum balas positif penumpang kapal terbang tersebut.

“Penerbangan ini yang ketiga dari atau ke Langkawi selepas penerbangan dari Subang dan Pulau Pinang, manakala yang keempat untuk Kelantan, selepas Subang, Pulau Pinang dan Johor Bahru.

“Kami di Firefly bekerja keras untuk mencapai kejayaan ini sebagai kemudahan kepada orang ramai,” katanya pada Majlis Perasmian di Dewan Anggerik, Lapangan Terbang Antarabangsa Langkawi.

Ketibaan penerbangan julung kali selama satu jam 20 minit itu, disambut meriah dan dirasmikan Menteri Besar Kedah, Datuk Seri Mukhriz Tun Mahathir di samping kehadiran Ketua Pegawai Eksekutif Lembaga Pembangunan Langkawi (Lada), Tan Sri Khalid Ramli dan Timbalan Pengerusi Jawatankuasa Kebudayaan Pelancongan dan Warisan Kelantan, Datuk Hassan Mahmood.

Menurutnya, laluan penerbangan itu lebih kepada ‘jambatan’ menghubungkan Langkawi dengan pantai timur Semenanjung Malaysia dan memudahkan penduduk terutamanya di negeri Cik Siti Wan Kembang ke Langkawi.

“Rakyat di Kelantan dengan mudah dapat berkunjung ke pulau ini bagi menikmati pemandangan indah pantai tidak dicemari serta membeli-belah barangan bebas cukai yang ada di sini (Langkawi).

“Rakyat di Langkawi juga lebih mudah merasai dan menikmati keunikan budaya serta makanan di Kelantan,” katanya. Sementara itu, Mukhriz berkata, langkah Firefly tepat pada waktu menjelang Tahun Melawat Kedah 2016 yang akan dilancarkan dua bulan dari sekarang.

“Langkah ini wajar jadi contoh kepada syarikat penerbangan lain meningkatkan jumlah pelancong domestik,” katanya.

 

Sumber: Sinar Harian | Bisnes | 29 Okt. 2015

Laluan Kota Bharu - Langkawi rancakkan lagi kempen Tahun Melawat Kelantan dan Kedah 2016

Laluan penerbangan sulung FY2291 dari Kota Bharu ke Pulau Langkawi pada 27 Oktober 2015. Sumber: www.flightradar24.com

LANGKAWI: Syarikat penerbangan Firefly secara rasmi telah melancarkan perhidmatan penerbangan terus dari Kota Bharu ke Pulau Langkawi pada Selasa lepas.

Penerbangan FY2291 dari Kota Bharu ke Pulau Langkawi telah berlepas dari Lapangan Terbang Sultan Ismail Petra Kota Bharu (LTSIP) pada jam 11:56 dan telah selamat mendarat di Lapangan Terbang Antarabangsa Langkawi (LIA) pada jam 12:52, manakala penerbangan FY2290 dari Pulau Langkawi ke Kota Bharu telah berlepas pada jam 13:46 dan telah selamat mendarat di LTSIP pada jam 14:35. 

Penerbangan sulung dari Kota Bharu ke Pulau Langkawi membawa 53 penumpang dewasa dan dua orang bayi mengambil masa kira-kira 60 minit sahaja, manakala penerbangan sulung dari Pulau Langkawi ke Kota Bharu membawa lebih 40 orang penumpang. 

Penumpang dari Kota Bharu yang tiba di LIA telah disambut oleh YAB Dato' Seri Mukhriz bin Tun Dr. Mahathir (Menteri Besar Kedah), Ignitius Ong (Ketua Pegawai Eksekutif FlyFirefly Sdn. Bhd.), dan kenamaan lain dengan sambutan keraian yang meriah. 

Perkhidmatan penerbangan terus ini dijangka dapat merancakkan lagi kempen Tahun Melawat Kelantan dan Kedah 2016 yang hanya tinggal kira-kira dua bulan sahaja lagi.

Penerbangan terus dengan menggunakan pesawat jenis ATR72 dengan kapasiti 72 tempat duduk ini ditawarkan dengan kekerapan tiga kali seminggu, iaitu setiap hari Selasa, Khamis, dan Sabtu. 

Untuk maklumat lanjut dan tempahan tiket secara dalam talian, sila layari laman sesawang www.fireflyz.com.my.

Sumber: Kota Bharu Airport Blog | www.kotabharuairport.blogspot.my

Firefly brings ‘budu’ to Langkawi

Colourful welcome: Travellers on Firefly’s inaugural flight from Kota Bharu to Langkawi being greeted with cultural performances upon arrival.

LANGKAWI: Enjoying the many flavours of Malaysia is now even easier with Firefly’s direct flight from Kota Bharu to Langkawi.

Offering three flights a week – on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday – the new route is aimed at boosting travel between both destinations.

“The addition to Firefly’s routes is timely, especially since Visit Kedah 2016 begins in two months,” said Kedah Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Mukhriz Mahathir after the inaugural flight arrived at the Langkawi International Airport on Tuesday.

He said Langkawi had consistently been one of Malaysia’s favourite tourist spots, and tourism was bound to flourish.

“Kelantan is known for its food and culture, and this is a chance to travel to Kota Bharu to try the food. Langkawi residents can enjoy budu more often.”

The Kelantan delegation on the flight was led by state deputy exco for culture, tourism and heritage Datuk Hassan Mohaamood.

A cultural performance by the Langkawi Development Authority (Lada) greeted the travellers on the near-capacity flight. They were also given commemorative gifts to mark the occasion.

The new route is Firefly’s third to and from Langkawi, after those from Subang and Penang. It is the fourth for Kelantan after Subang, Penang and Johor Bahru.

Firefly CEO Ignatius Ong said that with the latest route, the airline aimed to not only give the tourism industry a boost but also promote the ease of doing business.

“Travel and mobility are now more convenient than ever,” he added. He said the airline had set a weekly 300 passenger target for the route.

Also present at the launch were Lada CEO Tan Sri Khalid Ramli and Malaysia Airports Sdn Bhd senior airport manager Arif Jaafar.

Malaysia’s premium short-haul airline now operates a fleet of 10 ATR 72-500 and seven ATR 72-600 turboprop aircraft out of Penang and Subang, connecting secondary destinations within the Indonesia-Malaysia-Thailand Growth Triangle and providing linkages between Malaysia and Singapore.

For more information on the latest promotions and routes, visit www.fireflyz.com.my.

 

Source: The Star Online | Nation | 29 Oct. 2015

Bajet 2016: Kerajaan Pulau Pinang kesal tiada peruntukan perbesar LTAPP

GEORGE TOWN: Ketua Menteri, Lim Guan Eng kesal apabila Pulau Pinang seolah-olah dipinggirkan dalam Bajet 2016 yang dibentangkan Perdana Menteri, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, kelmarin.

Menurutnya, Pulau Pinang tidak mendapat sebarang peruntukan meskipun sudah menyumbang RM6.5 bilion menerusi pembayaran cukai.

"Sebelum ini, sekurang-kurangnya kerajaan negeri menerima dua peratus bayaran balik daripada peruntukan keseluruhan.

"Namun untuk bajet kali ini, Pulau Pinang langsung tidak mendapat apa-apa pun berbanding negeri-negeri lain, sekurang-kurangnya mendapat satu atau dua peruntukan,” katanya pada sidang media, di pejabatnya di sini, semalam.

Beliau berkata, tindakan kerajaan pusat jelas mendiskriminasikan kerajaan negeri dan juga hak rakyat Pulau Pinang.

"Sekurang-kurangnya beri peruntukan tambah baik pengangkutan awam seperti bas. Perdana Menteri pernah janji sebanyak tiga kali untuk membina LRT di Pulau Pinang, pun masih tidak ditunaikan sehingga hari ini.

“Kerajaan negeri amat kesal, ini adalah satu diskriminasi yang tidak memberi keadilan dan menghormati perlembagaan kerana Pulau Pinang adalah sebahagian daripada Malaysia tetapi pembangunannya dipinggirkan," katanya.

Katanya, Kerajaan Negeri Melaka mendapat pelaburan untuk memperbesarkan Lapang Terbang Melaka, sungguhpun hanya ada cuma lima hingga enam kapal terbang sahaja.

"Berbanding di Pulau Pinang lebih daripada kapasiti tetapi tidak ada rancangan pembangunan untuk Lapangan Terbang Antarabangsa Pulau Pinang (LTAPP). Ini adalah sesuatu yang tidak adil,” katanya.

Sumber: Sinar Harian | 25 Okt. 2015

Sriwijaya Air tamatkan laluan Medan - Kuala Terengganu

KUALA LUMPUR: Syarikat penerbangan Sriwijaya Air dengan kerjasama You Wings Airlines yang berpangkalan di Ipoh, Perak telah menamatkan laluan Medan - Kuala Terengganu atas faktor-faktor komersial. 

Berdasarkan semakan melalui laman sesawang You Wings Airlines (www.youwings.com), mendapati bahawa hanya laluan Medan - Ipoh yang masih tinggal, manakala laluan Medan - Alor Setar yang pernah dirancang untuk bermula pada 27 Ogos lepas juga tidak berjaya untuk direalisasikan. 

Perkhidmatan penerbangan antarabangsa ini menggunakan pesawat milik Sriwijaya Air dan You Wings Airlines berperanan sebagai  agen yang menjual tiket di negara ini bagi pihak Sriwijaya Air.

Perkhidmatan penerbangan terus ini pada asalnya ditawarkan dengan kekerapan tiga kali seminggu, kemudian dikurangkan kepada dua kali seminggu, dan terakhir sekali dikurangkan kepada dua kali sebulan. 

Faktor permintaan yang terlalu kurang merupakan faktor utama yang menyebabkan laluan ini terpaksa ditamatkan lebih-lebih lagi syarikat penerbangan perlu mengawal kos operasi untuk mencatatkan keuntungan. 

Bacaan tambahan: Laluan antarabangsa Medan - Kuala Terengganu mungkin ditamatkan - MB Terengganu

Expansion of airport top on Malacca’s Budget 2016 wishlist

MALACCA: The expansion of Malacca Airport, a better road system and improved healthcare facilities are among the items on the 2016 Budget wishlist for Malacca. 

Chief Minister Datuk Seri Idris Haron said he hoped that the budget would have allocations for the construction of several facilities needed in the state. 

“We need to extend the runway at our airport from 2,135 metres to 2,508 metres. The whole project is going to cost more than RM200 million. 

“We are also hoping for a substantive amount from the federal government to develop a new government hospital to replace the Malacca General Hospital,” he said. 

He said additional road infrastructure, essential for alleviating traffic congestion was needed and the state government was hoping to get allocations for development of a coastal road connecting Kuala Linggi and Telok Mas and more flyovers to ease traffic congestion in the city. 

Source: New Straits Times | 22 Oct. 2015

Bajet 2016: Naik taraf LTSIP bukti Kelantan tidak dipinggirkan

Pintu gerbang Lapangan Terbang Sultan Ismail Petra (LTSIP), Pengkalan Chepa yang akan dinaik taraf berstatus antarabangsa pada pembentangan Bajet 2016.

KOTA BHARU: Cadangan menaik taraf Lapangan Terbang Ismail Petra (LTSIP) dalam Bajet 2016 adalah langkah tepat bagi mengurangkan kesesakan di LTSIP terutamanya menjelang musim perayaan dan haji.

Seorang pekerja syarikat swasta, Yazzman Aliff Yahya, 30, LTSIP sudah layak untuk dinaik taraf berikutan ia adalah antara lapangan terbang paling sibuk di negara ini. 

"LTSIP adalah antara lapangan terbang tersibuk di Pantai Timur. Inisiatif kerajaan itu akan membolehkan LTSIP diperbesarkan bagi menempatkan lebih banyak lagi pesawat untuk mendarat, termasuk kapal terbang yang lebih besar sekali gus menyediakan lebih banyak jualan tiket kepada penumpang. 

"Pada masa sama, jika LTSIP dinaik taraf sebagai lapangan terbang antarabangsa, ia akan menggalakkan lagi pelancong ke Kelantan sekali gus meningkatkan ekonomi masyarakat negeri ini," katanya. 

Perdana Menteri, Datuk Seri Najib Razak, ketika membentangkan Bajet 2016 mengumumkan peruntukan sebanyak RM42 juta bagi pembinaan Lapangan Terbang Mukah, Sarawak dan menaik taraf lapangan terbang di Kuantan serta Kota Bharu. 

Sementara itu, seorang ahli perniagaan, Omar Faliq Abdul Aziz, 24, berkata langkah itu membuktikan keprihatinan Kerajaan Pusat terhadap pembangunan Kelantan dan keselesaan pengguna. 

"Saya kerap menaiki penerbangan dalam tiga kali seminggu dari Kota Bharu - Kuala Lumpur untuk menguruskan perniagaan. "Saya memang berharap kemudahan di lapangan terbang itu akan ditingkatkan seperti membesarkan skrin jadual penerbangan elektronik serta menyediakan tempat meletakkan kenderaan yang lebih selesa. 

"Ketika ini, ada penumpang termasuk saya sendiri pernah terlepas penerbangan kerana terkeliru dengan jadual di papan skrin yang kecil itu," katanya.

Sumber: BH Online | 23 Okt. 2015

Malaysia Airlines mulls A380 fleet options post-A350 arrival

Malaysia Airlines Airbus A380-800.

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia Airlines (MH, Kuala Lumpur Int'l) is planning to use its incoming fleet of four A350-900s to replace its A380-800s on the Kuala Lumpur Int'l-London Heathrow route once the twinjets begin arriving during the last quarter of 2017.

Last month, Malaysia Airlines signed longterm lease agreements with Air Lease Corporation (ALC) for four new A350-900s with options for two additional jets of the same type as well as two A330-900neo aircraft. The A350s are slated to arrive between the fourth quarter of 2017 and the second quarter of 2018.

An airline official who spoke to AIN Online on condition of anonymity said the Malaysian national carrier has struggled to attract sufficient loads for the double-decker quadjet. The A380s were used on Malaysia Airlines' flagship European routes to London Heathrow as well as Paris CDG though the latter has since been replaced with a B777-200(ER).

Concerning the future of the B777-200(ER), Malaysia Airlines is reconsidering plans to phase out its eleven remaining B777-200(ER)s and scrap its Amsterdam and Paris routes by March 2016.

While flights Amsterdam appear set for the axe, flights to Paris CDG may be retained following Air France's announcement that it would end its own 4x weekly Paris CDG-Kuala Lumpur Int'l service on October 25. Should that occur, Malaysia Airlines would retain the route as well as two B777s, the official added.

Source: CH Aviation | http://www.ch-aviation.com | 21 Oct. 2015

Malaysia Airlines to unveil new name, logo and livery next month

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia Airlines Bhd (MAB) is set to undergo a brand overhaul that would involve a new name, logo and livery for its aircraft, with the changes to be unveiled next month, sources told The Edge Financial Daily.

It is understood that the changes, which include an overhaul of the design and colour of its livery, are part of a plan to shed a negative image many in the international markets have following the twin tragedies of flights MH370 and MH17 last year.

“MAS will get a fresh new look that will include a new name and logo. The changes are basically to address the negative perception of the brand, especially among international travellers following MH370 and MH17,” one source told The Edge Financial Daily.

It was reported in August that MAS, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Khazanah Nasional Bhd, has been working with advertising agency M&C Saatchi Malaysia and brand consultancy Prophet to create a new name, logo and advertising campaign to reintroduce the airline to the world.

The MH370 and MH17 tragedies have damaged the airline’s brand, once known for its five-star service and the world’s best cabin crew. It is noteworthy that MAS had one of the best safety records in the aviation industry before these tragedies.

MAS’ response to the disasters in the weeks that followed the tragedies had fielded criticism from some quarters. In September last year, the airline was also forced to withdraw a promotion that had asked customers to name their “bucket list” of travel destinations.

During his first media conference in June since taking up the job on May 1, MAB chief executive officer Christoph Mueller said that Australia, Europe and China were the three hardest markets in the world to convince that MAS had left its safety problems in the past.

Mueller said a rebranding was on the cards for MAS as part of a plan to reinvent the loss-making airline, promising that the new brand would still revolve around a Malaysian-centric ideal.

Still, consideration of a complete brand makeover began as early as July last year after the back-to-back tragedies of MH370 and MH17. The airline’s then commercial director Hugh Dunleavy was reported as telling the United Kingdom’s Telegraph that the Malaysian government had started a process of assessing the future shape of MAS’ business.

 

Source: The Edge Financial Daily | 12 Oct. 2015

Malaysia Airlines 737 pilots brace for latest shakeup

A Malaysia Airlines Boeing 737-800 takes off from China’s Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport. (Photo: Flickr: Creative Commons (BY-SA) by byeangel)

As a result of its latest moves to shed excess capacity, Malaysia Airlines Berhad (MAB) has hatched plans to offer 100 to 120 Boeing 737-800 pilots for secondment next year to interested airlines. 

If the plan does not materialize, the company would offer pilots either a two-year leave without pay or a 15-day work month at half salary.

According to an official at the carrier's flight operations centre in Sepang, two miles outside Kuala Lumpur International Airport, the excess crew resulted from a reduction of the 737-800 network as part of an exercise that started in late August. The airline plans further reductions in the coming months “where necessary.”

The official said the airline will know exactly how many pilots it will need to offer for secondment by the end of the year. Some have already served the required three months notice to resign, and the precise number will depend on how many more follow suit.

The official did not know whether MAB had identified any airlines for the secondment or whether any had expressed interest. [The airline is] facing stiff competition on domestic and regional routes from low cost carriers Malindo Air, AirAsia and full-service carriers,” he noted.

Meanwhile, the depreciation of the local currency, the ringgit, has increased the airline’s operating costs.

In August MAB arranged to send 50 to 70 Boeing 777 pilots to Korean Air on temporary assignment. That plan met with opposition from Korean Air’s pilots’ union, despite a shortage of cockpit crew at that airline.

This marks the first time in the history of Malaysia Airlines that pilots on the 777-200ER and 737-800 fleets have felt the effects of now five restructuring exercises since 2000. The then-Malaysia Airlines System (MAS) started operations in October 1974. Administrators established a new company in August and renamed the carrier Malaysia Airlines Berhad on September 1.

MAB currently operates 56 737-800s, 41 of which it leases. It plans to eventually reduce the fleet to 35 aircraft by the end of next year as part of its aim to cut operating cost. The airline also has canceled an option for 10 Boeing 737-800NGs.

Source: AIN Online | www.ainonline.com | 6 Oct. 2015

AirAsia launching Langkawi as international hub by year-end

KUALA LUMPUR: International passengers will be able to fly directly to Langkawi International Airport with AirAsia Bhd by the end of this year.

The budget carrier’s chief executive Aireen Omar said Langkawi is something that it’s looking forward to, due to the high traffic volume coming into the destination.

“We’re currently working closely with the government and we’re planning to see how we can build Langkawi as an international hub in this region.

“We’re going to see that happening (turning Langkawi into AirAsia’s international hub) towards year-end. We have exciting destinations that we will fly to from Langkawi, which will be announced by this month.”

The announcement of AirAsia’s new international hub was made by both Aireen and the airline’s head honcho Tan Sri Tony Fernandes in March this year.

Fernandes recently said five aircrafts will be based in Langkawi airport, so it would generate one to 1.5 million passengers very quickly.

“By reducing the charges we invest, we’re able to stimulate new routes and an airport that was really earning no income is now going to earn a tremendous amount of income,” he told Australia-based Centre for Aviation recently.

He also said that Hong Kong and Guangzhou would be the first two destinations that AirAsia would fly to from Langkawi airport.

Meanwhile, Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB) managing director Datuk Badlisham Ghazali recently said the airport operator is currently in discussions with three foreign airlines to be based at Langkawi airport.

“We have talked to three international airlines from Asia and Europe. I think we’ll see a new direct flight to Langkawi coming up this year.”

Badlisham also said the move is to get more foreign carriers to fly to the island-resort so as to promote it as the world’s preferred tourist destination.

“The government, including MAHB, has provided for an incentive to assist in making Langkawi a tourist destination beyond its capabilities today. The incentives are open to all airlines, not just AirAsia.”

He had confirmed the 70% discount in airport charges for Langkawi for all airlines flying there.

Source: The Rakyat Post | 9 Oct. 2015

Thai cabinet approves funding for Betong Airport

BANGKOK: The Thai cabinet Tuesday approved 1.9 billion baht (RM1=8.32 baht) funding for the construction of the Betong Airport in Yala, a southern province on the border with Malaysia.

Proposed by the Department of Civil Aviation, the airport will cater for aircraft with the capacity of 50 to 70 seats, government spokesman Colonel Sansern Kaewkamnerd said.

The allocation will come from the budget in the fiscal year 2016-2018, he said.

The Betong Airport will have a 1.8-kilometre runway, airport apron and terminal, he said, adding that 20,587 passengers are expected to pass through it annually after it begins operations in 2017.

A study on the airport was approved by the Thai cabinet in 2006.

Source: Bernama | 6 Oct 2015

MAHB to transfer LCC operations to KKIA Terminal 1 on Nov 1

Terminal 1, Kota Kinabalu International Airport, Sabah. 

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB) will transfer all operations of low-cost airlines and services from Kota Kinabalu International Airport's (KKIA) Terminal 2 to Terminal 1 effective Nov 1.

MAHB said it has communicated to the relevant airlines (AirAsia Bhd, Indonesia AirAsia and AirAsia Zest) and government agencies such as the Royal Malaysian Customs and the Immigration Department on the directive from the Ministry of Transport (MOT).

All government agencies providing services at Terminal 2 will cease their operations and services at Terminal 2 effective Nov 1, it said.

"MAHB will be working closely with the airlines and related stakeholders to facilitate the move and ensure smooth transition to Terminal 1, KKIA," the airport operator said in a statement here today.

At the launch of Terminal 1 on Sept 16, 2015 by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, it was announced that the RM1.7 billion terminal can accommodate nine million passengers.

"On top of the better facilities available at Terminal 1, MAHB has pledged RM10 million to Sabah Tourism as a commitment to supporting the development of the tourism industry in Sabah," it added.

Source: Bernama | 1 October 2015