Malindo Air lancar penerbangan sulung Surat Thani - Kota Bharu

KOTA BHARU: Syarikat penerbangan Malindo Air mengadakan laluan baharu terus dari Kota Bharu ke Surat Thani, Thailand dua kali seminggu bermula hari ini.

Pengerusi Jawatankuasa Perpaduan Masyarakat, Kebudayaan, Warisan dan Pelancongan, Mejar (B) Dato' Md Anizam Ab Rahman penerbangan antarabangsa itu diadakan pada hari Isnin dan Selasa.

“Semoga laluan baharu tersebut akan terus merancakkan sektor pelancongan antara Kelantan dan Thailand,” katanya selepas menyambut ketibaan pelancong dari Surat Thani di Lapangan Terbang Sultan Ismail Petra hari ini.

Seramai 50 pelancong kebanyakannya warga negara Eropah serta Amerika Latin menyertai penerbangan sulung ATR 72 Malindo Air antara kedua-dua laluan.

Hadir sama menyambut ketibaan pelancong, Pengurus Malaysia Airports Sdn Bhd Kelantan, Abdul Halim Othman; Pengurus Stesyen Malindo Air, Mohd Nazri Abdullah dan Ketua Penolong Setiausaha Pusat Penerangan Pelancongan Negeri, Mohd Sabilly Mohd Ramli. 

Sumber: Harakah Daily | 17 September 2018

Malindo Air lancar penerbangan terus dari Surat Thani, Thailand ke Kota Bharu

KOTA BHARU: Penerbangan terus yang dilancarkan syarikat penerbangan Malindo Air dari Lapangan Terbang Antarabangsa Surat Thani, Thailand ke Kota Bharu bakal menarik lebih ramai pelancong ke Kelantan.

Pengerusi Jawatankuasa Kebudayaan Pelancongan dan Warisan Negeri Kelantan Datuk Md Anizam Ab Rahman berkata penerbangan antarabangsa terbaharu itu akan memberi ruang kepada pihaknya untuk mempromosikan Kelantan kepada pelancong asing.

"Melalui penerbangan ini, pelancong asing dari pelbagai negara yang melancong ke Thailand diberi peluang menikmati percutian di Kelantan.

Kita jangka ini akan memberi peluang untuk kita mempromosikan negeri ini sekali gus meningkatkan jumlah kedatangan pelancong asing ke Kelantan bagi mencapai sasaran keseluruhan 5.23 juta pelancong domestik dan antarabangsa setahun," katanya.

Beliau berkata demikian kepada pemberita selepas menyambut ketibaan lebih 50 pelancong antarabangsa di Lapangan Terbang Sultan Ismail Petra (LTSIP) di sini hari ini menerusi penerbangan sulung Malindo Air dari Lapangan Terbang Antarabangsa Surat Thani.

Turut hadir Pengurus Besar Malaysia Airport Sdn Bhd (MASB), Lapangan Terbang Sultan Ismail Petra di sini, Abdul Halim Othman.

Melalui kerjasama itu, Malindo Air akan mengadakan penerbangan dua kali seminggu bagi laluan berkenaan iaitu pada setiap Isnin dan Selasa.

Md Anizam berkata pihaknya akan menyediakan kemudahan antaranya beca elektrik secara percuma bagi memberi peluang kepada pelancong mengenali Kelantan dengan lebih dekat.

"Pelancong akan dibawa mengelilingi bandar Kota Bharu untuk mengenali budaya dan warisan Kelantan, keindahan alam semula jadi serta menikmati makanan," katanya.

Sementara itu, Abdul Halim berkata LTSIP menerima kira-kira 40 penerbangan sehari dengan hampir 2,000 penumpang pada hari biasa.

Katanya, jumlah itu meningkat kepada hampir 60 penerbangan pada waktu puncak dengan 3,000 penumpang dan 10 peratus daripadanya adalah pelancong luar negara.

Sumber: Bernama | 17 September 2018

Tanpa sebarang promosi, Malindo Air lancarkan penerbangan terus ke Surat Thani dari Kota Bharu hari ini

KOTA BHARU: Syarikat penerbangan Malindo Air hari ini melancarkan perkhidmatan penerbangan sulung dari Kota Bharu (KBR) ke Surat Thani (URT) dengan kekerapan dua kali seminggu, iaitu setiap hari Isnin dan Selasa. 

Laluan penerbangan sulung Kota Bharu - Surat Thani pada 17 September 2018. Sumber: Flightradar24

Penerbangan sulung OD534 dari Kota Bharu ke Surat Thani telah berlepas dari Kota Bharu pada jam 11:03 dan telah tiba di Surat Thani pada jam 11:25 (waktu Thailand). Penerbangan sulung ini  mengambil masa kira-kira 1 jam 23 minit sahaja. 

Jadual Penerbangan

Penerbangan OD534 dari Kota Bharu ke Surat Thani dijadualkan berlepas dari Kota Bharu pada jam 10:40 dan dijadualkan tiba di Lapangan Terbang Antarabangsa Surat Thani (URT) pada jam 11:20 (waktu Thailand), manakala penerbangan OD535 dari Surat Thani ke Kota Bharu dijadualkan berlepas pada jam 11:45 (waktu Thailand) dan dijadualkan tiba di Lapangan Terbang Sultan Ismail Petra Kota Bharu (LTSIP) pada jam 14:25. 

Cadangan Jadual Penerbangan

Syarikat penerbangan Malindo Air diharap dapat menjadualkan semula laluan ini daripada Isnin dan Selasa kepada Isnin dan Jumaat. Hal ini kerana jika penerbangan ditawarkan pada hari Isnin dan Selasa, pelancong dari Kota Bharu ke Surat Thani yang berlepas pada hari Isnin hanya berkesempatan untuk bercuti di Surat Thani untuk satu malam sahaja dengan mengambil penerbangan pulang pada keesokan harinya dengan andaian bahawa mereka tidak mahu berada di sana selama seminggu. 

Jika perkhidmatan bagi laluan ini dijadualkan semula kepada setiap hari Isnin dan Jumaat, pelancong dari Kota Bharu yang berlepas ke Surat Thani pada hari Jumaat berkesempatan berada di Surat Thani atau Koh Samui selama tiga malam sebelum mengambil penerbangan pulang pada hari Isnin dan sebaliknya. 

Tiada Sebarang Promosi 

Untuk laluan baharu ini paling dikesalkan adalah kerana Malindo Air didapati tidak membuat sebarang promosi dan publisiti di laman sesawang dan media sosial rasminya berbanding laluan-laluan baharu lain seperti Kuala Lumpur - Labuan (mulai 2 Ogos 2018), Kota Kinabalu - Singapura (10 Ogos 2018), Subang - Silangit (17 Ogos 2018), Kuala Lumpur - Kolkata (22 Oktober 2018) dan Kota Kinabalu - Kuching (28 Oktober 2018). 

Pengurusan Malindo Air sama ada di ibu pejabat di Petaling Jaya, Selangor mahupun pengurus stesen di Kota Bharu, Kelantan sepatutnya menitikberatkan aspek promosi dan pemasaran dalam memastikan semua laluan baharu yang akan dan baru diperkenalkan dapat terus kekal beroperasi. 

Tanpa sebarang promosi dan pemasaran, didapati ramai rakyat Kelantan sendiri yang tidak mengetahui akan kewujudkan laluan antarabangsa ini.

Pengurusan Malindo Air diharap dapat melakukan sesuatu untuk mempromosikan laluan ini termasuk menjadualkan semula penerbangan daripada Isnin dan Selasa kepada Isnin dan Jumaat untuk memudahkan perancangan percutian warga Kelantan dan Pantai Timur ke Surat Thani dan Koh Samui dan sebaliknya. 

Nota kaki: Surat Thani merupakan salah satu pintu masuk utama pelancong untuk ke Pulau Koh Samui di Teluk Thailand. 

Langkawi International Airport reopens to handle 4m passengers

Langkawi International Airport (LIA) can now handle four million passengers a year following the completion of its expansion by Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd. Picture courtesy of Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd.

KUALA LUMPUR: Langkawi International Airport (LIA) can now handle four million passengers a year following the completion of its expansion by Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd.

MAHB on Saturday announced the re-opening of LIA after a year-long airport expansion project which started in October last year.

MAHB acting group chief executive officer Raja Azmi Raja Nazuddin said the LIA’s expansion project was completed right on schedule and allowed its operations to increase the airport capacity from 1.5 million passengers per annum (mppa) to 4.0 mppa.

“LIA will be better positioned to support Langkawi’s growth as a popular tourist destination, as well as act as a larger catalyst to its economic development. On a larger picture, it will also strengthen the country’s position as a preferred global hub,” he said in a statement.

Raja Azmi added that the airport expansion was in line with the airport operator’s aim to enhance its airport experience for users and elevate service levels at all its airports.

MAHB said the LIA expansion had increased the total gross floor area (GFA) of the terminal building from 15,000 sqm to 23,000 sqm, resulting in a comfort level of 22 sqm per passenger.

It said terminal facilities had also been upgraded to reduce congestion and improve operational efficiencies. For example, the airport car park was now larger with a total of 600 bays compared to 400 previously.

“In 2017, LIA registered 2.7 million passenger traffic movements with a 14.6 per cent increase in international passengers.

“As at year to date June 2018, international passenger traffic movements increased by 23.9 per cent compared to the same period in 2017.

“We are confident that this expansion will further facilitate LIA’s growth. We are already seeing more interest from foreign airlines to operate from here,” Raja Azmi said.

Currently, there are six airlines operating from LIA to four domestic destinations and five international destinations with combined weekly frequencies of 238

The number of counters at passenger touchpoints have also increased from 24 to 30 check-in counters and from 14 to 18 immigration counters.

LIA is also now equipped with In-Line Hold Baggage Handling System (ILHBS) – an automated system with three levels of security screening, allowing for more efficient check-in process.

Other upgrades included increasing the number of boarding gates to eight from five previously, as well as adding and refurbishing existing washroom facilities.

Source: New Straits Times | 2 September 2018

New look for Langkawi International Airport, better image for the island

LANGKAWI: The completion of the Langkawi International Airport terminal expansion project has added another piece to the puzzle as the island prepares to host this year’s Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) Travel Mart.

Langkawi Development Authority's (LADA) chief executive officer Datuk Azizan Noordin today said the opening of the new terminal last Saturday was timely, as the island would be hosting the international travel trade exhibition from Sept 12 to 14.

“By hosting this event, we are carving another milestone in our effort to make Langkawi an international convention destination,” he told Bernama here, adding that the airport’s new look would provide a better first impression to tourists.

He said apart from the new airport, LADA, with the cooperation of several other government agencies, the private sector and tourism associations here had also taken steps to enhance the landscape around the island in preparation for the event.

“We have been making the necessary preparations for the event and to date, 120 delegates from 25 countries would be coming as (tour package) sellers, 275 from 66 countries as purchasers, while 20 foreign media organisations have also confirmed their participation,” he added.

Operation at the expanded terminal commenced last Saturday and the airport’s operator, Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB) was confident it will further facilitate passenger growth.

MAHB acting group chief executive officer Raja Azmi Raja Nazuddin in a statement said the expansion project, which began in October 2017, has increased the airport’s capacity from 1.5 million passengers per annum (mppa) to 4 mppa.

“The expansion has increased the total gross floor area of LGK’s terminal building from 15,000 sqm to 23,000 sqm, and its facilities have also been upgraded to reduce congestion and improve operational efficiencies,” he said.

According to him, six airlines were currently operating from the airport with a combined weekly frequency of 238 flights, and several more foreign airlines had expressed their interest to operate here.

“It (the airport) would be in a better position to support Langkawi’s growth as a popular tourist destination, acting as a catalyst for its economic development, while helping to strengthen the country’s position as a preferred global hub,” he said.

Meanwhile, Kuah State Assemblyman, Mohd Firdaus Ahmad said the new airport terminal was another value-adding feature which would raise Langkawi’s image as an international tourism destination.

He said, however, the improvement in facilities alone would not be sufficient, as it would have to be accompanied with better services.

“Apart from the expansion of the airport terminal recently, the expansion of the Kuah Jetty Point was also completed last year, and this will put Langkawi in a better position to bring in more tourists,” he said.

Emphasising the fact that better services should go along with the improvement in infrastructure, he said the airport and jetty point were important gateways which would give tourists their first impressions about the island.

“The services (at the airport and jetty) will be the “wow” factor that will build the tourists first impression and if the services are bad… that will probably be the only occasion they come here,” he said.

Langkawi Business Association deputy president, Datuk Alexander Isaac, on the other hand, hailed the contractor of the airport expansion project for completing the project within the stipulated time, and ahead of the 2018 PATA Travel Mart.

He said the public should not expect everything to be in place immediately after the completion, and instead give some time to the airport authority to settle down and adjust to the new operating environment.

“Of course it will be ready to handle more travellers and the real challenge would come during the peak months, where the authorities would have to be more prepared,” he said.

In anticipation of a larger number of passengers, he said the airport authority would need to re-look at its crowd handling system and to weed out touting activities at the airport which would create a bad impression among tourists.

“Definitely it (the project) has made the airport even more beautiful, and I hope the airport authority and other parties involved will continue with their great job of maintaining good service,” he added.

Source: Bernama | 3 September 2018

Perluasan LTAL akan lonjakkan pertumbuhan penumpang Langkawi - MAHB

Lapangan Terbang Antarabangsa Langkawi (LTAL), Pulau Langkawi, Kedah.

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB) yakin perluasan Lapangan Terbang Antarabangsa Langkawi (LTAL) akan melancarkan lagi pertumbuhan penumpangnya.

Pemangku Ketua Pegawai Eksekutif Kumpulan, Raja Azmi Raja Nazuddin berkata MAHB telah menerima lebih banyak minat daripada syarikat penerbangan asing untuk beroperasi di LTAL.

“Pada 2017, LTAL mencatatkan 2.7 juta pergerakan trafik penumpang dengan peningkatan sebanyak 14.6 peratus bagi penumpang antarabangsa.

“Bagi tahun ini setakat Jun, pergerakan trafik penumpang antarabangsa meningkat sebanyak 23.9 peratus dari tempoh yang sama 2017,” katanya dalam kenyataan hari ini.

Peluasan LTAL telah selesai dan lapangan terbang itu dibuka untuk operasi mulai hari ini pada 6 pagi tadi.

Projek perluasan yang bermula pada Oktober 2017 telah meningkatkan kapasiti lapangan terbang itu daripada 1.5 juta penumpang setahun kepada 4.0 juta penumpang setahun.

Raja Azmi berkata, pada masa ini, terdapat enam syarikat penerbangan beroperasi dari LTAL ke empat destinasi domestik dan lima destinasi antarabangsa dengan kekerapan mingguan terkumpul sebanyak 238 penerbangan.

Beliau berkata, LTAL akan berkedudukan lebih baik untuk menyokong pertumbuhan Langkawi sebagai destinasi pelancongan popular serta berperanan menjadi pemangkin lebih besar kepada pembangunan ekonominya.

“Secara keseluruhan, ia juga akan memperkukuh kedudukan Malaysia sebagai hab global pilihan,” katanya.

Projek perluasan itu meningkatkan luas lantai kasar keseluruhan bangunan terminal daripada 15,000 meter persegi kepada 23,000 meter persegi sekali gus menjadikan tahap keselesaan bagi setiap penumpang adalah 22 meter persegi.

Di samping itu, kemudahan terminal juga telah ditambah baik untuk mengurangkan kesesakan selain mempertingkat kecekapan operasi.

Sumber: Bernama | 1 September 2018

Langkawi International Airport expansion will boost passenger growth - MAHB

Langkawi International Airport, Langkawi Island, Kedah. 

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB) is confident that the expansion of the Langkawi International Airport (LIA) will further facilitate its passenger growth.

Acting Group Chief Executive Officer Raja Azmi Raja Nazuddin said several foreign airlines had expressed their interest to operate from the airport.

“In 2017, LIA registered 2.7 million passenger traffic movements, with a 14.6 per cent increase in international passengers.

“From January to June 2018, international passenger traffic movement increased by 23.9 per cent compared with the same period in 2017,” he said in a statement today.

The year-long expansion project, which began in October 2017, has increased the airport’s capacity from 1.5 million passengers per annum (mppa) to 4.0 mppa.

Raja Azmi said six airlines were currently operating from LIA, flying to four domestic destinations and five international destinations, with a combined weekly frequency of 238 flights.

He added that LIA would be in a better position to support Langkawi’s growth as a popular tourist destination, and act as a catalyst for its economic development. 

“It will also help to strengthen the country’s position as a preferred global hub,” he said.

The expansion has increased the total gross floor area of LIA’s terminal building from 15,000 sqm to 23,000 sqm, and its facilities have also been upgraded to reduce congestion and improve operational efficiencies.

Source: Bernama | 1 September 2018