Monday World Routes Special - Q&A: MAS Outlines KL's Growth Potential

Germal Sing Khera, general manager international affairs, Malaysia Airlines

Why is Kuala Lumpur an exciting base for Malaysia Airlines?

It is a vibrant and relatively affordable city with excellent infrastructure, which caters to both tourist and business traffic. KLIA is gradually growing into a premier hub in the region and is attracting significant traffic flows from China, India and Middle East.

How has the local KL market changed in recent years?

The local market has moved from being generally group traffic to FIT traffic. People take more holidays to regional destinations and tend to book their holidays through the Internet.

What is your approach to new destinations?

We adopt a three dimensional view:
1. Point-to-point traffic potential
2. The potential of traffic using our KLIA gateway
3. The potential improvement from the addition of the new destination to the existing network.

What typesis Malaysia looking for from new destinations?

• Existing traffic potential
• Future growth prospects
• Any restrictions, such as slots, airport congestion, aviation policies
• Political links and stability
• Economic links and freight traffic
• Homebase carrier cooperation

Tell us more about Firefly and MASWings?

Firefly is a "community carrier" serving domestic and regional points using turboprop aircraft. It operates out of Subang Airport, which is a downtown airport. MASWings is a Special Purpose Vehicle subsidiary airline set up to operate Rural Air Services, which are subsidised by the Malaysian government.

Why are hosting an Airline Requirement Briefing?

To update and brief all relevant airports on MAS re-fleeting exercise and expansion plans for the future.

*Malaysia Airlines' Airline Briefing is today at 17:00-17:50 in the Route Exchange Lounge.