MASwings Targets record 1.1 Million Passengers Within Sabah, Sarawak This Year

KOTA KINABALU, April 25 (Bernama) -- MASwings has set a target of flying a record 1.1 million passengers within Sabah and Sarawak this year, said Malaysia Airlines chairman Tan Sri Dr Mohd Munir Abdul Majid. He said the target would be made possible with the latest 10th ATR aircraft which would enter its service by end of the month. He said for the first three months this year, MASwings registered a commendable 150,000 passengers and hoped it would increase significantly with the additional aircraft. "To date, we carry approximately 88,000 passengers each month, which represents a 24 per cent growth rate in passenger volume compared with that of last year," he said in his speech in conjunction with Delivery of the 10th ATR72-500 Aircraft and Farewell ceremony to the last Fokker 50, at the Kota Kinabalu International Airport, here Sunday.

Mohd Munir said the weekly flight frequency had increased from 400 flights per week in October 2007 to 600 flights per week last year, and a further increase to 900 flights per week this year. "MASwings have, over the last two years, progressively increased the weekly frequencies, to continuously meet the ever growing demand for air travel within Sabah and Sarawak," he said. He said Fokker 50 aircrafts had served the people of Sabah and Sarawak for more than 20 years since 1989, and as of August 2006, only 171 Fokker 50 aircrafts remained in worldwide airline services. "With the ever growing demand as well as needs to improve the level of safety and also to lower our operating cost, this aircraft no longer provides MASwings with the competitive features, due to its age. "MASwings has decided to retire this aircraft and introduce the cost effective and more reliable ATR72-500 to its fleet," he said.

Meanwhile, Sabah Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Peter Pang En Yin who thanked MASwings for its contribution and excellent service to the people of Sabah and Sarawak was also grateful to MASwings for employing about 1,300 employees from Sabah and Sarawak. Pang also hoped that MASwings would consider extending its air service to neigbouring countries within the Brunei-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines East Asean Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA), in the future.