MAS to buy 10 ATR aircraft

Malaysian Airline System Bhd (MAS) yesterday signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with ATR in Toulouse, France, for the purchase of 10 ATR 72 500s and an option for five more worth a total of US$285mil.

The purchase was in response to the Government’s request that MASWings, a subsidiary of MAS set up to service the air routes of Sabah and Sarawak, expand its services to the two states.

MAS executive director and chief financial officer Tengku Azmil Zahruddin and ATR chief executive officer Stephane Mayer signed the MoU.

MASWings is expected to take delivery of the first five aircraft in 2009 and the next batch in 2010. ATR is a joint venture between EADS and Alenia Aeronautica. The ATR 72 500 is a turboprop six-blade propeller aircraft.

“The new aircraft will enable MASWings to expand its capacity by 150%.

“This will allow MASWings to meet the future demand in air travel within Sabah and Sarawak and connect more customers worldwide to the two states, which are ideal destinations for business and vacation,” Tengku Azmil said in a joint media release with ATR.

He added that with the fleet expansion, MASWings would progressively add new frequencies in addition to expanding its services to more destinations in Sabah and Sarawak.

MASWings, which started operating in both states on Oct 1 this year, currently has four Fokker F50 and four Twin Otter aircraft.

Meanwhile, OSK Investment Bank senior analyst Chris Eng said the acquisition of the aircraft for MASWings would not impact the country’s flagship airline negatively, as the Government footed the bill.

“It just shows that it is keen on maintaining a good level of service,” he said.

Eng added that the MoU signed between MAS and ATR in July for the purchase of 10 ATR 72 500s with an option to purchase another 10 for MAS’ low-cost carrier, Firefly, was another step in showing that it was serious in expanding the Firefly fleet.

Firefly was launched in April this year in Penang and recently started operations in Subang. It currently has a fleet of two Fokker F50 aircraft.

Source : STAR
[tags : malaysiahotelnews hotels malaysia resorts news travel tourism travel mas wingsfirefly ]

MASWings takes to the skies

Newly formed MASWings takes to the east Malaysian skies today.

It has taken over the rural air service sector in Sabah and Sarawak from Fly Asian Xpress (FAX).

The subsidiary of national carrier Malaysia Airlines starts operations promising to revitalise air transportation in the two vast states.

There are more than a million rural folks in Sarawak and Sabah still living in isolated settlements where air service is the only means of swift transportation to towns and cities.

Sarawak Chief Minister Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud is scheduled to launch the inaugural MASWings flight from the Mulu National Park, some 250km inland from here, this morning.

MASWings managing director Dr Amin Khan said the airline would operate about 200 weekly flights covering 29 destinations in Sarawak and Sabah, using 19-seater Twin Otter and 50-seater Fokker aircraft.

He said the airline plans to also fly new routes not previously served by FAX, such as between Miri and Kota Kinabalu.

He said the two destinations, which house two world heritage sites in Malaysia, are popular among foreigners.

“Feedback from travel agents all over the world indicated a tremendous response from tourists in Japan, mainland Europe, Britain and the United States to the news that we will be taking over the flights to Mulu,” he told The Star.

“Mulu is a tourism jewel,” said Dr Amin, when interviewed here.

He added that there had been more than 6,000 online bookings for seats on MASWings since the takeover was announced.

Asked to comment on the development, Sarawak Tourism Board chief executive officer Gracie Geikie said since the takeover by MASWings of the rural service was announced some two months ago, the momentum has picked up.

She said the board has received favourable response in many countries after it made more efforts to promote Sarawak following a series of flight connection woes in the past 12 months.

Source : STAR
[tags : malaysiahotelnews hotels malaysia resorts news travel tourism travel vmy2007]

MASwings Helps To Achieve 3.2 Million Visitors In Sarawak

MASWings Sdn Bhd (MASWings), a subsidiary of Malaysia Airlines (MAS) which is set to take over the Rural Air Services (RAS) on Oct 1, will boost Sarawak's tourism industry to achieve the projected 3.2 million visitors during the Visit Malaysia Year (VMY) 2007.

State Urban Development and Tourism Minister Datuk Seri Wong Soon Koh said Sarawak recorded 1.3 million tourist arrivals for the first five months, from January to May this year.

He said tourist arrivals in the state was on track although visitors for the long-haul market had plunged, due to poor connectivity since last year.

"However, the domestic tourists make up for the target this year. With MASWings officially taking to the skies and resolving the issues on interlining and connectivity, it would give more confidence to the market, knowing it (MASWings) is a subsidiary of MAS.

"I believe MASWings will put Sarawak back on its map of international travel routes to achieve the 3.2 million visitors this year," he told reporters after the press conference on 4th International Borneo Tourism Conference (BTC) 2007, here today.

MASWings, with four Fokker 50 (F50) and four Twin Otter aircraft, will serve a network of 23 destinations in Sarawak and Sabah as well as the Federal Territory of Labuan.

Wong said MASWings received encouraging response since it opened for bookings through Malaysia Airlines Call Centre 1300-88-3000, as more than 3,000 bookings had been received since Aug 1.

"Sarawak Tourism Board (STB) has started an e-blasting through the Internet to our oversea operators (tour and travel agents) to announce about MASWings' interlining," he said.

On the BTC to be held at the Sarawak Tourism Complex from Sept 11 to 13, Wong said the conference would be participated by renowned international speakers specially flown in to present papers related to tourism, including the `father' of ecotourism, Hector Ceballos-Lascurain, who is also the special advisor to World Conservation Union and World Tourism Council.

He said the other tourism `heavyweights' participating are Professor Ross K.Dowling, Mark Exeter, Costas Christ, and Jill Henry.

"This is not a chance to be missed especially by tourism operators, hoteliers, and people who are directly involved in the business of tourism," he said, adding that those interested could contact STB for further information or register directly via the website at www.borneotourism.org.

Wong said a total of 120 delegates comprising industry practitioners, hoteliers, and institutions of higher learning students from Brunei, Indonesia, Thailand, Australia, and New Zealand had registered so far.

The conference, jointly organized by the Borneo Integrated Service and supported by the STB, aims to develop and market the Borneo regions as a major international tourist destination as well as to popularize and promote tourism related activities and programmes and events showcasing the uniqueness of Borneo as a tourist destination.

Source : Bernama
[tags : malaysiahotelnews hotels malaysia resorts news travel tourism travel vmy2007]

MASWings set to boost tourism from 1 October 2007

Malaysia Airlines' subsidiary MASWings is on track to take to the skies on Oct 1 as scheduled.

It expects to be fully operational by Dec 1, when the new rural service airline will have a fleet of 13 aircraft, providing almost 200 flights a week in Sabah and Sarawak.

MAS managing director Datuk Idris Jala said the new airline would initially operate four Fokker 50 and four Twin Otter aircraft.

This will be increased to seven Fokker 50 and five Twin Otter aircraft from Oct 28.

By Dec 1, MASWings will have a fleet of eight Fokker 50 and five Twin Otter aircraft serving a network of 23 destinations in Sabah, Sarawak and Labuan.

Tour of duty: Idris (left) presenting a model of a Fokker 50 aircraft with the MASWings livery to Taib after the briefing in Kuching yesterday. Looking on is Wong.

It will have 13 Fokker 50 and 80 Twin Otter flights weekly by Dec 1.

“We’ll be bringing back a lot of the old routes and frequencies that we used to have.

“I think that will be very good for local travel within Sabah and Sarawak,” Idris told reporters after briefing Chief Minister Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud on MASWings here yesterday.

Idris said MAS took over full maintenance of the aircraft on Aug 1 and restoration work had begun.

He said all preparatory work was on schedule and the airline would be ready to take over turboprop operations from FlyAsianXpress (FAX) on Oct 1.

“We are doing everything we can to make sure the aircraft are in safe and reliable condition and we should be able to bring back on-time performances to the levels that they were when we were running (the rural air services) before,” he said.

State Urban Development and Tourism Minister Datuk Wong Soon Koh, who was at the briefing, said the handover of rural air services to MASWings would be a boost to Sarawak’s tourism industry.

“We have been suffering, but with MASWings taking over I’m confident our tourism industry will grow from strength to strength,” he said.

Taib will launch MASWings in Mulu on Oct 1.

MASWings flights are now open for booking through the MAS call centre at 1-300-88-3000.

Source : STAR
[tags : malaysiahotelnews hotels malaysia resorts news travel tourism travel vmy2007]