Malaysia Aviation Group will improve transparency, operational efficiency

KUALA LUMPUR: The newly established Malaysia Aviation Group Bhd (MAG), an entity under Khazanah Nasional Bhd, will drive better transparency and focused management across its subsidiaries and improve operational efficiency.

MAG is a global aviation group with subsidiaries and equity investments, organised into four distinct business segments, namely air transportation services, ground services, aircraft leasing and talent development.

The air transportation services division, which houses Malaysia Airlines Bhd, Firefly Sdn Bhd, MASwings Sdn Bhd and MAB Kargo Sdn Bhd will be the largest contributing business segment.

In a statement today, Malaysia Airlines said also under the umbrella is the division MAB Kargo, providing standard, express and special cargo, which would apply for its own Airline Operating Certificate and would operate as a separate company as of 2017.

The ground services and engineering division comprises AeroDarat Services Sdn Bhd and MAB Engineering, while MAB Leasing and MAB Pesawat are under the aircraft leasing division and MAB Academy is under the talent development division.

MAG Chief Executive Officer, Christoph Mueller, said the new group would align structures and processes more consistently to the needs of its customers and raise overall efficiency.

"Going forward, the new structure will support every business unit's capability to access the capital market with its own value proposition," he added.

The team of board members of Malaysia Airlines, who remain unchanged, will also sit on the board of MAG.

Source: Bernama | 19 May 2016

Firefly tawar penerbangan tambahan sempena Aidilfitri dari KL dan JB ke KB

KUALA LUMPUR: Syarikat penerbangan Firefly mula membuka tempahan tiket bagi penerbangan tambahan sempena sambutan Hari Raya Aidilfitri yang dijangka jatuh pada 6 Julai ini.  

Setakat ini, penerbangan tambahan tersebut melibatkan laluan Subang (Kuala Lumpur) - Kota Bharu dan Kota Bharu - Johor Bahru pada 5 Julai ini masing-masing dengan dua dan satu penerbangan. 

Penerbangan FY6002 dan FY6004 masing-masing dijadualkan berlepas dari Lapangan Terbang Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah (LTSAAS), Subang, Selangor ke Kota Bharu pada jam 06:20 dan 09:25, manakala penerbangan FY6003 dan FY6005 dari Kota Bharu ke Subang masing-masing dijadualkan berlepas pada jam 07:55 dan 10:50.

Penerbangan FY6085 dari Kota Bharu ke Johor Bahru pula dijadualkan berlepas pada jam 06:10 dan dijadualkan tiba di Lapangan Terbang Antarabangsa Senai (SIA) pada jam 07:55, manakala penerbangan FY6086 dari Johor Bahru ke Kota Bharu dijadualkan berlepas pada jam 08:20 dan dijadualkan tiba di Lapangan Terbang Sultan Ismail Petra (LTSIP), Kota Bharu, Kelantan pada jam 10:00.

Tiket penerbangan tambahan ini boleh didapati di semua kaunter tiket Firefly, manakala untuk pembelian secara dalam talian, sila layari laman sesawang www.fireflyz.com.my.

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

MAS appoints new as MASwings CEO

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia Airlines (MAS) has appointed Captain Izham Ismail as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of its sister airline, MASwings, effective July 1.

He takes over from the current CEO, Captain Ritzerwan Rashid, who will retire at end-August.

Izham will focus on developing a comprehensive and sustainable plan to improve MASwings' operations, financial performance and customer service experience," Malaysia Airlines' CEO, Christoph Mueller said in a statement today.

Izham has close to 36 years of experience in the aviation industry and thus, combines a valuable breadth of understanding in airline operations and business management.

"I am proud that he is our own internal home grown talent and confident that he will be able to lead MASwings to new levels of excellence," Mueller said.

Izham is currently Head of the Operations Programme Management Office overseeing more than 100 projects, key to the turnaround of Malaysia Airlines.

He is also a Board of Director for various companies such as MASkargo and began his career with Malaysia Airlines as a trained pilot from the Philippines Airline Aviation School.

As a pilot he achieved world aviation records when he flew Malaysia Airlines' first B777-200 eastward from Seattle to Kuala Lumpur and back, setting a new world longest flight and speed record for the fastest round-the-world flight by a commercial airliner with total flight time of 41 hours 59 minutes over a distance of 23, 310 miles.

Mueller also thanked Ritzerwan for his contributions to MASwings as well as Malaysia Airlines.

Under his tenure, the airline significantly expanded to become a recognised and designated "The East ASEAN Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA) airline".

Source: Bernama | 16 May 2016

Brighter days ahead for Senai Airport

There is plan to upgrade the Senai Airport in anticipation of higher traffic volume.

JOHOR BAHRU: Things are looking up for Senai Airport. Passenger growth, both domestic and international, is on the increase and an expansion plan for the airport is in place.

It may not be the country’s busiest nor the largest, but Senai Airport is fast catching up. What was once described as a sleepy little airport is now awakening to the fact that it has a major role in civil aviation.

On May 29, an inaugural flight to the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou will take off, making it the first time Senai Airport will host a direct flight to China. The Philippines is on the horizon and Shanghai and Beijing could be next. Hat Yai and Bangkok are already on the list.

Ho Chih Minh, Vietnam’s bustling southern city, has a passenger load which would keep airlines smiling and we can also expect to see a steady stream of passengers from the Indonesian cities of Bandung, Surabaya and Jogjakarta.

The domestic routes include Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Ipoh, Kota Bharu, Kuching, Kota Kinabalu and other East Malaysian towns.

Senai Airport served 2.58 million domestic and international passengers last year. This figure represents a 100 per cent increase from the total volume five years ago, making it the sixth busiest airport in the country behind Kuala Lumpur International Airport (almost 49 million passengers), Kota Kinabalu (6.5 million), Penang International Airport (6.2 million), Kuching (4.7 million) and Subang Airport (3 million).

Passenger growth at the airport has been steady over the past 10 years and the authorities are in talks with more airlines to make Senai their hub.

They include MojoAir, a privately-funded airline with the Malaysian government as the major partner. Malindo Air will also start flying to Sepang from Senai beginning Monday. Talks are also ongoing to lure a China-based airline.

“The aim is to bring more international flights to Senai Airport and at the same time to serve the country’s main domestic routes,” said the aiport’s chief executive officer Md Derick Basir.

To ensure Senai Aiport stays on track with its projection to surpass the three million passenger mark by the end of the year, expansion and upgrading works will start soon.

Seven more check-in counters will be added to the existing 16. Sixteen more retail and food and beverage outlets will be created. The duty free outlets, which Md Derick described, as the “soul of an airport” will also be expanded.

“We have room to expand and live up to the expectations and demands of an international airport. We have to think long term. Retail and F&B outlets and duty free shopping are avenues for us to explore,” said Md Derick.

It’s obvious he has the Chinese passengers in mind. They are known for their shopping, with liquor, watches and branded handbags as their choice items.

“With no direct flights from the Chinese cities currently, they tend to come to Johor Bahru via KL International Airport or Changi Airport in Singapore. AirAsia’s JB-Guangzhou flight at the end of the month will change things. With the Chinese now ready to invest in the Iskandar Region, the market for more direct flights from major cities will increase” he added.

Attracting Singaporeans to use the Senai Airport as their gateway to popular holiday destinations in Malaysia and other Southeast Asian countries is also on the cards. The cheaper ringgit vis-a-vis the Singapore dollar is a factor.

An estimated 50,000 Singaporeans came through Senai Airport last year to make their way to other destinations in the country or Thailand.

The strength of their dollar is an obvious reason and the notorious traffic situation at the Causeway especially during weekends does not deter them.

I believe Singaporeans will still go to where they will find value for money. People will argue that we lose out in terms of connectivity and frequency of flight to Changi Airport. But that’s obvious. It is the world’s No 1 airport.

“But Senai can capitalise on its proximity to Singapore and the much cheaper cost to lure Singaporeans here,” said Md Derick.

Senai saw 300,745 passengers on its international route last year and 2.28 million on its domestic route. Kuala Lumpur remains the No 1 domestic destination, with almost a million passengers flying out to KLIA and Subang Airport.

Senai Airport, as my travel agent friend once told me, will always have to live in the shadow of Changi Airport.

“But that’s inevitable, given the reputation they have built over the years and the investment the Singapore government has poured in. But as long as Senai can serve a niche market, like serving shorter flights to Southeast Asian cities, it can survive. Once the railway link between Johor Baru and Singapore’s Mass Rapid Transport (MRT) system happens, Singaporeans might come to Senai in droves to fly to their preferred destinations.

“Malaysians also dread crossing over to Singapore to catch a flight, especially during peak hours. But because of the connectivity and the variety of flights available from Changi, what choice have we got,” said a travel agent.

Senai Airport has great potential. Let’s hope those in authority are given the mandate to take it to greater heights.

Source: Malay Mail | 14 May 2016

AirAsia X to fly direct to Tehran from KL and Bangkok

KUALA LUMPUR: AirAsia X Bhd and Thai AirAsia X on Saturday announced Tehran as their latest destination in the group's route network, connecting both Kuala Lumpur and Bangkok directly to the Iranian capital.

Direct flights to Tehran from Kuala Lumpur (KLIA 2) and Bangkok (Don Mueang International Airport) will be operated three times weekly, with the commencement date set for June 21, 2016 and June 22, 2016 respectively.

Chief Executive Officer of AirAsia X, Benyamin Ismail, said Iran is a large and growing economy and Tehran is a brilliant business city, with the recent lifting of sanctions opening up exciting new prospects for Iran as a tourist destination.

"We believe that the revival of direct flights to Tehran from Kuala Lumpur is timely and we foresee that our direct flights from both ASEAN cities of Kuala Lumpur and Bangkok can improve bilateral relations while encouraging trade and tourism activities between the cities," he said in a statement.

To commemorate the launch of this brand-new route, AirAsia X is offering promotional all-in-fares from as low as RM299 one-way on economy seats and from as low as RM999 one-way on the award-winning Premium Flatbeds departing from Kuala Lumpur.

These promotional fares are available for booking online at airasia.com from now until May 29, 2016 for the travel period from June 21, 2016 departing from Kuala Lumpur.

Source: Bernama | Business | 14 May 2016

Wings of change

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia Airlines Bhd (MAS) seems to be refreshing itself just as it announced a modest profit of RM14mil for the first quarter of 2016 after a slew of internal restructuring initiatives that have streamlined the airline.

Next on its plate is the need to refresh its uniforms that stewardesses wear, which is part of the plan to improve customer service, fine-tune its processes and improve productivity.

But there is an uproar among people who disagree with the uniform change move, as for them removing the iconic kebaya will hurt the airline’s legacy and identity.

However, MAS’ outgoing chief executive officer Christoph Mueller, in a phone interview with StarBizWeek, says the signature kebaya of the airline will stay.

“One thing the uniform change will not see is the kebaya, which is our signature uniform element.’’

He says the idea of the uniform change came from within the employees who want a new look and feel to be in sync with the other changes at the airline. As it is, MAS has too many uniform combinations that not just confuse the customer, but it is no longer cost effective to maintain so many designs. Streamlining the design will help in passenger orientation.

Constant changes to offer the best-in-class is what global airlines are doing to lure customers to fly with them and MAS want to emulate that, so that it can regain its share of the market. But this will cost money. MAS product offerings have for years been said to be stale and a fresher and breezier look is preferred.

But the question is of timing, as many feel it is not right to spend money on uniforms when there are so many other things that need to be taken stock of at the airline, says an airline industry executive.

“Do they really need to spend so much money? Why don’t they use that money to reward their employees who could do with that motivation,’’ the executive adds.

MAS’ iconic kebaya is said to be designed by ITM students but the design of the new uniform will be done by fashion designer Farah Khan.

Meuller declined to say how much it would cost the airline to change the uniforms. All the changes MAS have embarked on are part and parcel of the airline trying to re-brand itself and bring it back to profitability.

There are over 220 initiatives in place to turn the once ailing airline around, and they are at various stages of implementation. The progress may be there but the job is far from over and MAS will not be able to report profit for full year even though it had a modest profit for its first quarter this year.

This is also despite the fact that passenger loads are improving and forward bookings from July onwards to the end of the year are looking positive.

“We will not make a profit for full year 2016, that will be two years ahead of our projections. It was a good first quarter, but we do expect a weak second quarter, though the third and fourth quarters might be a bit stronger. Fortunately the loss for full year might be slightly lower than what we had budgeted,’’ Mueller said, but declined to elaborate.

MAS reported a RM450mil loss in January to March last year. It also slashed 6,000 jobs to bring its workforce to 14,000 people and renegotiated most of its contracts with over 20,000 vendors to bring down the cost of procurement.

“On the cost side, I believe the painful things are already behind us,’’ Mueller says. Cost is down by 32% and MAS’ payroll, often said to be inflated in the past, is lower, but Mueller does not want to share details.

“We made real good inroads in payroll cost and were lucky on the fuel cost as it has been very low in the first quarter. But the most pressing issue on the cost side is really our vendor cost.

“We have not been smart buyers in the past and I have identified many goods and services that we purchased was 20% to 25% above market rates and that is basically where our attention should be, to bring down all this cost,’’ he adds.

Apart from bringing cost down, he wants “every stone unturned and every touch point reviewed” to improve customer services so that MAS is able to regain its glory of the past. He also expects fares to drop further but it will be based on sectors, seasons, demand and competition.

Asked who will be the best candidate to take over from him since he is leaving the airline in September, Mueller says “I am not involved in the discussions, it’s a matter for the board and shareholders to decide.’’

Names such as MAS executive director Peter Bellew and Datuk Seri Shahril Mokhtar, the CEO of Mass Rapid Transit Corp, have been bandied about as possible replacement. Asked if there was an internal candidate, Mueller said it would certainly be good for continuity of the turnaround plan.

Source: The Star Online | Business | 14 May 2016

Landasan LTSIP dipanjangkan 100 meter sahaja?

KUALA LUMPUR: Kerajaan Persekutuan menerusi Kementerian Pengangkutan Malaysia (MOT) diminta menimbangkan semula cadangan projek pemanjangan landasan Lapangan Terbang Sultan Ismail Petra (LTSIP), Kota Bharu, Kelantan yang hanya melibatkan pemanjangan 100 meter (m) sahaja daripada 2,400 m kepada 2,500 m. 

Menurut MOT, pemanjangan landasan kepada 2,500 m tersebut adalah untuk menampung semua jenis pesawat kod 4C tanpa sebarang had muatan. Antara jenis-jenis pesawat yang dikategorikan di bawah kod 4C ialah A320-200, B737-400, B737-800, dan yang terbesar sekali B737-900ER. 

Syarikat penerbangan AirAsia yang beroperasi di LTSIP menggunakan pesawat jenis A320-200 dengan 180 tempat duduk, manakala Malaysia Airlines (MAS) beroperasi dengan pesawat jenis B737-800 dengan 166 tempat duduk. Sementara itu, Malindo Air yang pernah beroperasi bagi laluan Kota Bharu - Kuala Lumpur menggunakan pesawat jenis B737-800 dan B737-900ER. 

Projek pembesaran dan naik taraf LTSIP di bawah Rancangan Malaysia Kesebelas (RMK11: 2016 - 2020) yang dijangka bermula pada separuh kedua tahun 2016 ini sepatutnya turut mengambil kira keperluan untuk mengendalikan pesawat berbadan lebar di bawah kod 4E seperti A330-300, B777-200ER, A350-900, dan B747-400 yang memerlukan landasan yang lebih panjang. 

Hal ini kerana terdapat keperluan untuk menerbangkan jemaah haji dari Kelantan terus ke Jeddah dan Madinah tanpa transit melalui Lapangan Terbang Antarabangsa Kuala Lumpur (KLIA) lebih-lebih lagi setiap tahun jemaah haji dari Kelantanlah yang paling ramai berbanding dua lagi negeri di Pantai Timur.

Usaha untuk mengadakan penerbangan haji terus dari LTSIP ke Jeddah dan Madinah perlu menjadi agenda Kerajaan Persekutuan dan juga Kerajaan Negeri Kelantan demi kepentingan umat Islam negeri ini. 

Dalam pada itu, pada musim-musim perayaan terutamanya Hari Raya Aidilfitri dan Hari Raya Aidiladha, MAS boleh menimbang untuk menggunakan pesawat berbadan lebar terutamanya A330-300 bagi laluan Kuala lumpur - Kota Bharu sebagai penerbangan tambahan.

Untuk tujuan tersebut, sebuah laman kempen sokongan telah dilancarkan untuk menggesa Kerajaan Persekutuan supaya dapat memanjangkan landasan LTSIP kepada 3,500 m melalui laman sesawang www.facebook.com/landasan3500m. 

Oleh itu, Kerajaan Persekutuan diharap dapat memanjangkan landasan LTSIP daripada 2,400 m kepada 3,500 m untuk membolehkan LTSIP mengendalikan pesawat berbadan lebar tanpa had muatan. 

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