Rayani Air bakal rintis laluan Kota Bharu - Bandung dan Kota Bharu - Bandar Raya Ho Chi Minh pada Mei/Jun ini

KOTA BHARU: Syarikat penerbangan Rayani Air (RA) bakal merintis dua laluan antarabangsa dari Kota Bharu selewat-lewatnya pada Mei atau awal Jun ini. 

Dua laluan antarabangsa tersebut ialah Kota Bharu - Bandung (KBR-BDO) dan Kota Bharu - Bandar Raya Ho Chi Minh (KBR-SGN). 

Menurut Pengurus Komersialnya, Kulenthiran Balakrishnan, RA akan mengukuhkan hab sekundernya di Kota Bharu dengan memperkenalkan dua laluan antarabangsa tersebut. 

“Setakat ini, kami sudah merancang untuk memperkenalkan laluan antarabangsa terus dari Kota Bharu (KB) ke Bandung, Indonesia dan Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam. 

“Laluan ini akan bermula selewat-lewatnya Mei atau awal Jun ini. Kami memilih untuk memperkenalkan laluan terus KB-Bandung dan KB-Ho Chi Minh berikutan potensi penumpang dari negeri ini yang banyak melancong ke sana,”

Jualan tiket bagi kedua-dua laluan antarabangsa ini dijangka bermula pada bulan April ini melalui laman sesawangnya, pejabat jualan tiket RA, dan juga melalui agensi-agensi pelancongan yang telah dilantik di negeri Kelantan. 

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

Syarikat penerbangan tempatan diharap perkenal laluan Kota Bharu - Tawau dan Kota Bharu - Miri

KOTA BHARU: Syarikat penerbangan tempatan terutamanya AirAsia, Malaysia Airlines (MAB), atau Rayani Air (RA) diharap dapat memperkenalkan dua laluan baharu ke Malaysia Timur dari Kota Bharu pada tahun ini.

Dua laluan berpotensi besar untuk diterokai tersebut ialah Kota Bharu - Tawau (KBR-TWU) dan Kota Bharu - Miri (KBR-MYY). 

Berdasarkan maklum balas daripada kaji selidik yang kami jalankan selama ini, terdapat permintaan yang cukup menggalakkan bagi laluan Kota Bharu - Tawau lebih-lebih lagi terdapatnya komuniti Kelantan dan Terengganu yang bermastautin di Bahagian Tawau, Sabah dengan jumlah yang cukup ramai. 

Komuniti Kelantan dan Terengganu di Bahagian Tawau ini telah membentuk suatu komuniti kekal sehingga ada yang membuka perniagaan sendiri di sana. Mereka juga sering berulang-alik antara Tawau - Kota Bharu dengan perkhidmatan penerbangan ke Kota Bharu sama ada melalui Kota Kinabalu (Tawau - Kota Kinabalu - Kota Bharu), Kuala Lumpur (Tawau - Kuala Lumpur - Kota Bharu), dan juga Johor Bahru (Tawau - Johor Bahru - Kota Bharu). 

Tawau yang juga merupakan pintu masuk ke beberapa buah pulau antara yang tercantik di dunia, iaitu Pulau Sipadan dan Pulau Mabul boleh menjadi pintu masuk pelancong dari Pantai Timur, Semenanjung Malaysia terus ke Tawau. 

Buat permulaan, perkhidmatan penerbangan terus Kota Bharu - Tawau ini boleh diperkenalkan dengan kekerapan tiga kali seminggu, iaitu setiap hari Selasa, Khamis, dan Sabtu atau pun setiap hari Ahad, Rabu, dan Jumaat. 

Laluan Kota Bharu - Miri pula, mendapat permintaan yang kedua paling popular selepas laluan Kota Bharu - Tawau. Laluan ini jika diperkenalkan nanti bukan sahaja dapat menampung permintaan penumpang di Bahagian Miri, Sarawak tetapi juga dari negara Brunei Darussalam. 

Komuniti Kelantan juga wujud di Bahagian Miri terutamanya warga pendidik, pasukan keselamatan, dan juga mereka yang terlibat dengan industri minyak dan gas (O&G). 

Kebanyakan warga Kelantan yang menetap di Miri yang ingin pulang ke Kota Bharu terpaksa transit melalui Lapangan Terbang Antarabangsa Kuala Lumpur (KLIA) terlebih dahulu. Ia bukan sahaja merugikan masa tetapi juga terpaksa mengeluarkan kos tambahan kerana mengambil dua penerbangan untuk sehala. 

Penerbangan terus Kota Bharu - Miri ini juga boleh diperkenalkan dengan kekerapan tiga kali seminggu. 

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

Rayani Air sasar laluan antarabangsa dari Kota Bharu

Agen-agen pelancongan di Kelantan dilantik secara berdaftar dengan Rayani Air, semalam.

KOTA BHARU: Syarikat penerbangan Rayani Air Sdn Bhd merancang mengadakan laluan antarabangsa ke beberapa negara termasuk Vietnam, Indonesia, India, dan China selewat-lewatnya Mei atau Jun ini.

Pengurus Komersial Rayani Air, Kulenthiran Balakrishnan berkata, pihaknya yakin usaha itu dapat dilaksanakan dengan dua pesawat dan akan menambahkan dua lagi pada Mac ini, dengan menjadikan jumlah sasaran enam pesawat sehingga Disember nanti.

"Dalam perancangan, Rayani Air akan membuka laluan dari Kota Bharu (KB) ke Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City), Vietnam, malah pada masa ini, kita dalam pelaksanaan ke arah laluan dari KB ke Kota Kinabalu, KB ke Kuching, juga KB ke Bandung, Indonesia.

"Negara-negara ini dipilih berdasarkan potensi iaitu ramai pelancong termasuk ahli peniagaan yang berurusan dari KB ke Bandung dan Vietnam, sekaligus mampu menarik lebih ramai pelancong datang ke Kelantan," katanya.

Beliau berkata demikian selepas Majlis Menandatangani Perjanjian Persefahaman (MoU) Bersama Agen-agen Pelancongan di Kelantan, di Kota Bharu, semalam.

Sebagai permulaan, sebanyak 20 agen pelancongan di Kelantan dilantik menjadi agen berdaftar bersama Rayani Air, termasuklah Al-Quds Travel, Battuta Travel, Hayi Travel, Misbah Travel, Andalusia Travel, Rakyat Travel, Labbaik Travel, Zahafiz Travel dan Seri Puteh Travel & Tours.

Turut hadir, Pengurus Stesen Rayani Air Kelantan, Mohd Khalid Che Rani, Penolong Pengurus Komersial, Sivaraj Velusamy dan Shela Thamby Durai.

Sementara itu, Mohd Khalid berkata, menerusi perjanjian itu, agen pelancongan yang dilantik diberikan akses khas untuk menjual tiket-tiket penerbangan seluruh destinasi ditawarkan oleh Rayani Air, selain mempromosikan Tahun Melawat Kelantan 2016.

“Sejak mula beroperasi pada 20 Disember lalu, kami sudah dapat menarik kira-kira 5,000 penumpang, khususnya untuk laluan ulang alik penerbangan ke KB- Kuala Lumpur," katanya.

Sumber: Sinar Harian | Bisnes | 20 Jan. 2016

Rayani Air rancang beberapa laluan antarabangsa dari Kota Bharu

Kulenthiran Balakrishnan (tiga dari kanan) beramah mesra bersama wakil-wakil daripada agensi pelancongan di Kelantan selepas memeterai memorandum persefahaman di Kota Bharu, kelmarin.

KOTA BHARU: Syarikat penerbangan patuh syariah, Rayani Air akan menambah empat buah pesawat lagi sehingga penghujung tahun ini bagi mengukuhkan operasi mereka.

Pengurus Komersialnya, Kulenthiran Balakrishnan berkata, penambahan menjadikan syarikat tersebut memiliki enam buah pesawat untuk beroperasi di beberapa laluan yang telah ditetapkan sebelum ini.

Beliau berkata, pesawat jenis Boeing 737-400, 777 dan 737-800 itu akan digunakan untuk penerbangan antarabangsa ke China, India, Filipina serta Jeddah.

“Kami (Rayani Air) baharu sahaja beroperasi selama sebulan dengan permulaan sebanyak dua buah pesawat, namun dengan sambutan yang begitu menggalakkan kami akan menambah beberapa buah pesawat tahun ini.

“Tambahan pesawat ini juga adalah untuk mengembangkan operasi kerana kami akan menambah beberapa destinasi baharu tahun ini,” katanya kepada pemberita selepas memeterai memorandum persefahaman (MoU) di antara Rayani Air bersama agensi-agensi pelancongan di negeri ini, di sini semalam.

Pada majlis tersebut, sebanyak 20 agensi pelancongan di negeri ini telah dilantik menjadi ejen berdaftar bersama Rayani Air dalam usaha mempromosikan pakej-pakej penerbangan yang ditawarkan.

Dalam pada itu, Balakrishnan berkata, Rayani Air juga bakal memperkenalkan laluan antarabangsa selewat-lewatnya Mei ini.

“Setakat ini, kami sudah merancang untuk memperkenalkan laluan antarabangsa terus dari Kota Bharu (KB) ke Bandung, Indonesia dan Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam.

“Laluan ini akan bermula selewat-lewatnya Mei atau awal Jun ini. Kami memilih untuk memperkenalkan laluan terus KB-Bandung dan KB-Ho Chi Minh berikutan potensi penumpang dari negeri ini yang banyak melancong ke sana,” katanya.

Sementara itu, Pengurus Stesen Rayani Air, Mohd. Khalid Che Rani berkata, pihaknya amat berpuas hati dengan sambutan yang memberangsangkan daripada para penumpang sejak memulakan operasi pada 20 Disember tahun lalu.

“Pesawat kami dipenuhi hampir 80 peratus penumpang setiap kali penerbangan dan sejak beroperasi, Rayani Air sudah membawa lebih 5,000 penumpang,” katanya.

Sumber: Utusan Malaysia | Bisnes | 20 Jan. 2016 | Terbitan 21 Jan. 2016

Tiket laluan domestik Malaysia Airlines kini boleh dibeli melalui laman sesawang Firefly

KUALA LUMPUR: Pelanggan syarikat penerbangan Firefly kini boleh membuat tempahan tiket penerbangan domestik Malaysia Airlines (MAB) melalui laman sesawang Firefly.

Terdapat 15 destinasi penerbangan domestik MAB yang boleh dibeli melalui laman sesawang Firefly berkuat kuasa 19 Januari 2016 berbanding hanya tiga laluan sebelum ini.

15 destinasi penerbangan domestik MAB tersebut ialah Alor Setar, Bintulu, Johor Bahru, Kota Bharu, Kota Kinabalu, Kuala Terengganu, Kuantan, Kuching, Labuan, Miri, Pulau Langkawi, Pulau Pinang, Sandakan, Sibu, dan Tawau.

Semua tiket MAB yang dijual melalui laman sesawang Firefly melibatkan penerbangan dari Terminal KLIA 1 (Terminal 1), Lapangan Terbang Antarabangsa Kuala Lumpur (KLIA).

Jualan tiket ini bukan sekadar kerjasama perkongsian kod di antara Firefly dan Malaysia Airlines  tetapi juga akan memudahkan pelanggan Firefly untuk melakukan transaksi pembelian tiket secara dalam talian dengan melibatkan lebih banyak destinasi domestik terutamanya bagi laluan yang tidak ditawarkan oleh Firefly.

Sebagai contoh, Firefly tidak menawarkan perkhidmatan bagi laluan Subang Kuala Lumpur – Kuantan (SZB-KUA) tetapi MAB ada menawarkan perkhidmatan bagi laluan Kuala Lumpur – Kuantan (KUL-KUA). Jadi, pelanggan Firefly yang ingin ke Kuantan dari Kuala Lumpur boleh membeli tiket secara dalam talian melalui laman sesawang Firefly dan mengambil penerbangan dari KLIA.

Dengan penambahan laluan domestik MAB ini, Firefly kini menawarkan perkhidmatan penerbangan terus ke lima destinasi dari Kota Bharu (KBR), iaitu Kuala Lumpur (KUL), Subang Kuala Lumpur (SZB), Pulau Pinang (PEN), Johor Bahru (JHB), dan Pulau Langkawi (LGK) secara langsung dan melalui perkongsian kod dengan MAB. 

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

Malindo may code-share with ex-MAB partners, may move to Terminal KLIA 1

PETALING JAYA: Malaysia Airlines Bhd’s (MAB) former code-share partners are now courting Malindo Air for interlining into domestic and regional connections.

Nearly a dozen carriers will have to find new partnerships and, thus far, seven have approached Malindo, those in the know claim.

They said among the seven talking to Malindo included KLM-Air France, Etihad Airways, Vietnam Airways, Qatar Airways and Air Mauritius. Several other carriers may be looking for similar tie-ups.

“These carriers are full service airlines and prefer to work with similar types and Malindo has elements of full service,’’ an aviation executive said.

MAB can’t keep these partnerships with the global carriers as it now has Emirates as its new partner. The Emirates-MAB partnership inked last month is an exclusive agreement that restricts MAB from having similar arrangements with other carriers in several markets.

Emirates has one of the largest global network and the deal gives MAB access beyond Asia.

While this arrangement with Emirates has given MAB a new platform to connect its passengers to the world, it has also opened new avenues for local players such as AirAsia and Malindo to tap passengers flown in by other carriers that want connectivity within Malaysia and regionally.

“Interlining and regional connectivity is important and if they cannot find a local partner for that, they may even move to Singapore or Bangkok for regional connectivity,’’ he said.

As the talks are still progressing pending final decisions, Malindo now wants to explore a relocation from Terminal KLIA 2 to  Terminal KLIA 1 to facilitate the interlining.

Malindo in a statement confirmed that it was in talks with airport operator Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd for the relocation.

Malindo cited reasons for the relocation was due to the engagement with foreign carriers operating out of KLIA for interlining and code share which requires operation in the same terminal so that there is seamless connectivity and convenience for the transit passengers.

It added that several of its passengers, especially business travellers also want the relocation so that they can use the premium services provided at KLIA 1.

Malindo offers business class services on its B737 next generation fleet. The airline that started three years ago was on expansion mode and would take delivery of 5-6 new aircraft this year, its CEO Chandran Rama Muthy said. It now flies to 12 countries over 22 destinations and will add Ho Chi Minh city and Hong Kong to its route map on Jan 29 and Feb 5 respectively.

Source: The Star | Business | 14 Jan 2016

AirAsia announces new baggage pricing

PETALING JAYA: AirAsia has announced a new pricing structure for checked baggage effective Jan 28.

In a statement on Friday, the airline said that with the new pricing structure passengers would save more when buying checked baggage at the time of making flight bookings.

For example, 20kg of checked baggage for a one-way flight from Kuala Lumpur to Singapore would cost RM45 if purchased during the initial flight reservation in comparison to RM52 if baggage is booked at a later date.

This means a 15.5% increase in checked baggage fee if passengers delay their bookings.

The airline went on to say that passengers would still be able to enjoy savings by purchasing checked baggage via Manage My Booking (after the initial flight booking) as compared to making a last minute purchase at the airport counter.

So while 20kg of checked baggage would cost RM52 if the order were made after the initial flight booking, a last minute purchase at the airport counter would cost RM355.

"This new checked baggage pre-booked pricing applies to all flights (carrier codes: AK, FD, QZ, Z2, i5, D7, XT, XJ) except bookings made for flights originating from Indonesia, and India," the airline added.

AirAsia customers received the notice on the revised baggage pricing on Friday in the form of an email newsletter.

Source: The Star | Business | 16 Jan 2016

AirAsia introduces direct flights from Penang to Yangon

KUALA LUMPUR: AirAsia Bhd has introduced direct flights between Penang and Yangon, Myanmar, marking the seventh international destination from the airline's northern hub.

The three-times-weekly service will commence on March 22, 2016 and reiterates AirAsia's commitment to serving the Asean community better, said Head of Commercial Spencer Lee.

"We are committed to growing our network and serving the Asean community apart from strengthening our secondary hub in Malaysia," he said in a statement.

He said direct connectivity between both cities will stimulate leisure and business activities as this will be Malaysia's second flight into Yangon.

Promotional all-in one-way fares start from RM99.

Source: Bernama | 13 Jan 2016

Malaysia Airlines to codeshare Emirates on KL-Dubai route

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia Airlines will codeshare Emirates on the four times daily service to Dubai from Kuala Lumpur, effective Feb 15, as part of the partnership sealed between both airlines in early December 2015.

In a statement Wednesday, Malaysia Airlines said the Kuala Lumpur to Dubai flight frequency will therefore increase from one to four times daily.

All flights will be operated on Emirates aircraft. "The new codeshare will give customers convenient connections to Emirates' more than 90 global destinations.

"This includes 38 destinations in Europe on a daily and even double daily basis for key European cities such as Paris, Rome, Munich, Frankfurt, Madrid, and Barcelona, as well as Canada and Latin America," it said.

The partnership will also see the Malaysia Airlines and Emirates frequent flyer programmes aligned, giving customers expanded opportunities to earn and redeem points.

Chief Executive Officer Christoph Mueller said the partnership allows guests to travel seamlessly to major cities around the world, whilst enjoying increased rewards through the loyalty programmes.

"We will be able to offer Kuala Lumpur as a hub to connect to South East Asia and Dubai for connections to Europe, Middle East and North and South Africa," he added.

The details of the benefits will be shared progressively over the next quarter. The service to Dubai will be operated thrice daily on a Boeing 777 and once, on the Airbus 380.

Malaysia Airlines will also suspend its Kuala Lumpur-Dubai route by Feb 15 and re-accommodate passengers on the codeshare flights with Emirates.

Source: Bernama | 13 Jan 2016

Malindo Air to fly to Lahore, Pakistan in March

KUALA LUMPUR: Malindo Air will commence direct flights between Kuala Lumpur and Lahore, Pakistan, beginning March 3, 2016, making it the sole airline to operate on the route.

In a statement Tuesday, the budget airline said it will commence operations with four weekly flights.

"The route will signify one of our furthest route yet from Kuala Lumpur using our young fleet of Boeing 737-900ER aircraft," said Chief Executive Officer Chandran Rama Muthy.

"Malaysians and transiting visitors from neighbouring Singapore can now look forward to a smooth flight to Lahore via Kuala Lumpur whether for business, leisure or religious purposes," he added.

The flight would depart Kuala Lumpur International Airport 2 on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays at 5.30pm and touch down at the Allama Iqbal International Airport, Lahore at 8.15pm.

The return flight would depart Lahore at 9.05pm and arrive at KLIA2 at 5.50am the next day.

Source: Bernama | 12 Jan 2016

Indonesia airlines get bad marks

JAKARTA: In the latest safety survey by airlineratings.com, Indonesian airlines share the lowest ranking with Nepali and Surinamese airlines by getting awarded just one out of a total of seven stars.

The low-ranked Indonesian airlines included in the survey were Batik Air, Citilink, KalStar Aviation, Lion Air, Sriwijaya Air, Nam Air, TransNusa, Trigana Air, Wings Air and Xpress Air.

A number of fatal incidents occurred in 2015, including the crashes of an Air Force Hercules C-130 in Medan in June, of an ATR 42-300 Trigana Air in Papua in August and of an Aviastar DHC-6-300 in October. Previously, AirAsia flight QZ8501 from Surabaya to Singapore crashed in December 2014.

Among all flag carrier airlines in South-East Asia, Indonesia also lags behind with just three stars for safety, while other countries got from four to the maximum seven stars.

On the list from lowest to highest is Garuda Indonesia (three stars), Lao Airlines (four stars), Thai Airways International (four stars), Malaysia Airlines (five stars), Philippine Airlines (six stars), Myanmar Airways International (six stars), Royal Brunei (six stars), Vietnam Airlines (five stars) and Singapore Airlines (seven stars) .

The survey shows that even though a carrier is low-cost that does not always mean it offers less safety because some low-cost carriers earned seven-star ratings.

The 10 safest low-cost carriers in the world are Aer Lingus, Flybe, HK Express, Jetblue, Jetstar Australia, Thomas Cook, TUI Fly, Virgin America, Volaris and Westjet.

In its latest release, Airline Ratings said that unlike a number of other low-cost carriers, these airlines all passed the stringent International Air Transport Association Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) and have excellent safety records.

According to Airline Ratings, 2015 was a disturbing year for airline safety because of the GermanWings and Metrojet cases.

“However, according to Aviation-Safety.net data, the 16 accidents in 2015 with 560 fatalities were below the 10-year average of 31 accidents and 714 fatalities.

Last year was also a significant improvement over 2014 when there were 21 fatal accidents with 986 fatalities,” airlineratings.com’s editors said in the article.

The ratings criteria are based on the availability of IOSA or Information Systems Security Association certification; whether the airline is on the European Union blacklist; if it has maintained a fatality-free record for 10 years; if the airline is endorsed by US Federal Aviation Authority; whether the country of the airline’s origin meets all eight ICAO safety parameters; whether the airline’s fleet has been grounded by the country’s governing aviation safety authority and whether the airline operates only Russian-built aircraft. — The Jakrata Post / Asia News Network

 

Source: The Star | Business | 7 Jan 2016

AirAsia X optimistic of turnaround

KUALA LUMPUR: Long-haul low-cost airline, AirAsia X Bhd, is confident of returning to the black in the current financial year ending Dec 31, given its new capacity management, said group chief executive officer Tan Sri Tony Fernandes.

“AirAsia X is really going to prove all the critics wrong this year.

“Its something that Kamarudin (AirAsia co-founder Datuk Kamaruddin Meranun) and myself are driven to do. And Ben (AirAsia X CEO Benyamin Ismail) and the team are doing a fantastic job.

“We are confident that AirAsia X will be profitable this year. Rather than talk too much, let’s deliver results,” he said after relaunching AirAsia X’s flight to New Zealand.

Benyamin said the company started to show positive outcome with promising forward booking through its new capacity management and revenue strategy.

“AirAsia X routes are doing well now. Fuel (price) is benefitting us quite a bit so if the currency doesn’t go any worst, I am confident that this year would be a profitable year,” he said adding that the biggest lost last year was from the Australian sector but this year it was expected to do very well.

He said AirAsia X would add Hawaii and China to its new routes this year besides increasing the frequency of flights on routes that were doing well.

Asia’s largest budget carrier yesterday announced its resumption of service to New Zealand with flights from Kuala Lumpur to Auckland, New Zealand, via the Gold Coast, from March 22.

Benyamin said AirAsia X last flew to New Zealand in 2011 with flights from Kuala Lumpur to Christchurch but withdrew the route the following year after the earthquakes in Canterbury which caused a drop in traffic.

“We have all the confidence that this new route will thrive, riding on the success we achieved from our other Australian routes,” he added.

 

Source: Bernama | Business | 13 Jan 2016

A new beginning for Malaysia Airlines in 2016

KUALA LUMPUR: A new year, a new beginning for Malaysia Airlines.

The just-ended year saw the team at newly-formed Malaysia Airlines Bhd (MAB), led by Chief Executive Officer Christoph Mueller, working at putting the building blocks together as part of the transformation process.

After years of financial hemorrhaging worsened by the double tragedy in 2014, Malaysia Airlines started on a clean slate from Sept 1 last year, with MAB no longer dragged down by the turbulent financial baggage of the past.

Mueller began his first week by circulating a letter to the employees to drive home the point that the medicine for the overhaul was "bitter, and the fitness programme required to bring us back into shape would cause a lot of sweat and sometimes tears. But it would be rewarding in the end."

The bloated workforce was shrunk to 14,000, having to let go 6,000 employees.

To ensure sustainability of the livelihood of the 6,000 affected employees, Khazanah Nasional Bhd, the owner of Malaysia Airlines, set up the Corporate Development Centre (CDC).

The CDC which opened its doors on June 1 last year, provided avenues and opportunities to free outplacement, training services and reskilling of the exiting Malaysia Airlines' employees who were not offered re-employment by MAB.

The employees were provided with access to a broad range of services, including talent profiling, career counseling, basic and detailed training, job-seeking skills, entrepreneurship, retirement planning and placement.

As at Nov 27, over 3,000 former employees had registered with the CDC. Some 1,165 registrants have successfully left the CDC, of which 466 were successfully re-employed, with 650 choosing to become entrepreneurs and 49 opting for early retirement.

Currently, 392 registrants are attending programmes, while 964 others who completed their respective basic coaching programmes, have transitioned into active up-skilling programmes. The remaining 583 are job-seeking candidates undergoing various technical and non-technical certification courses.

In addition to shedding its workforce, other bitter measures taken was to cut costs overall by 20 per cent, including renegotiating suppliers' contracts, route rasionalisation, as well as review of work processes to bring the airline on par with global practices.

In the same letter, Mueller also highlighted that the airline's previous precarious situation was mainly caused by its uncompetitive cost levels, while coming under attack from new low-cost carriers for its short haul network.

Coupled with this, the super connectors from the Middle East and Turkey are gaining market share on long haul, putting MAS' cost level at up to 20 per cent above its competitors.

Mueller has vowed to "stop the bleeding" by last year, stabilise the business in 2016 and look for growth again by 2017. By 2018, the national airline targets to be profitable.

The implementation comes in the form of a range of initiatives aimed at furthering operational improvements, boosting product offerings and enhancing internal processes and procedures, as well as rebuilding confidence following the twin disasters of having one airplane go missing and another being shot out of the sky.

Rather than compete with the super connectors from the Middle East and Turkey, the synergistic move to remain a full-service international carrier connecting continents, saw Mueller inking a global aviation partnership with Emirates, that will see an increase in the two-way traffic between the two sides of the globe.

From Feb 1, Malaysia Airlines will also begin widespread code sharing on Emirates' flights from Kuala Lumpur to Dubai and then onward to destinations across Europe, the Middle East, Africa and the Americas, providing passengers with more choice over when and where they travel.

The improved connectivity will enable Malaysia Airlines customers to reach up to 38 destinations in Europe on a daily and even double daily basis for key European cities such as Zurich, Rome, Munich, Frankfurt, Madrid, and Barcelona.

What this means is that a Malaysia Airlines ticket will take passengers far beyond its destinations.

Axing the unprofitable routes will still enable passengers with Malaysia Airlines tickets to travel to those axed destinations.

Mueller is positioning Malaysia Airlines to retreat from some markets until it has regained a competitive cost status. In other words, retreat and regroup, before growing again being the ultimate target.

While retreating from one part of the globe, Emirates is currently the Kuala Lumpur International Airport's top airline in terms of passengers, latching on to Kuala Lumpur for connectivity to this part of the world.

With all these initiatives in place, analysts are confident that 2016 will be a better year for MAB.

Mueller is on track to realise his vision of Malaysia Airlines turning the corner with a modern product on offer plus new uniforms, a new common building, a new process driven organisation, anchored by a new, more collaborative style of working with each other. It's work in progress.

Malaysia is expecting 30.5 million tourists to contribute RM103 billion in revenue this year and this target can be achieved through various programmes in the pipeline.

Malaysia Airlines is now better poised than ever in being the major player in bringing the tourists here as well as connecting to this region.

Source: Bernama | 10 Jan 2016

Malaysia Airlines to decentralize flight operations

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia Airlines Berhad (MAB) plans to pare down its operations at its hub at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) as part of an extensive reorganization. It will also create seven new permanent bases across Malaysia to “improve connectivity and service quality on the domestic network.”

The new arrangement, expected to be in place by early next year, will see 18 of the carrier’s 50-plus Boeing 737-800 aircraft moved from KLIA to operate out of Kota Kinabalu, Kuching, Miri, Labuan, Kota Bharu, Penang and Johor Bahru.

Locally employed pilots and cabin crew staff will be used to crew the aircraft, instead of crewing arrangements being made out of KLIA as previously.

The decentralization is expected to bring MAB lower airport charges, smaller crew accommodation bills and better regional utilization of its narrowbody fleet.

The move will also enable MAB to concentrate all its flight operations in a single terminal at KLIA. The airline said this will allow it to offer faster and simpler connections for passengers between international and domestic flights, along with faster and more reliable baggage transfer.

The carrier said it is seeing revenue per available seat miles and overall seat load factor up from the corresponding period in 2014, due partly to other improvements and network optimization.

MAB has also moved its headquarters to a single building in KLIA’s South Support Zone. Management said the new environment has improved teamwork across divisions and led to better working access, working values and behaviors.

“It is very rewarding to see the new team of employees creating a truly new airline, one that is entirely customer focused and commercially led,” MAB CEO Christoph Mueller said.

Mueller added there is “still have a long way to go but [we] believe in our success.”

Source: http://e-spaces.eu/ | 10 Dec 2015