NEW DELHI, March 22 – Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB) is actively wooing more airlines to fly into Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) and the efforts may bear fruition with the number of flights flying into KLIA increasing to 60 by year-end. Currently, about 56 airlines fly into KLIA, Malaysia’s main gateway.
“We are actively talking to few airlines. We may see three to five new foreign airlines flying into Malaysia by year-end. We are working on it,” its General Manager (Marketing) Mohamed Sallauddin Mat Sah said.
Turkish Airlines has announced that it would resume Kuala Lumpur-Istanbul direct flight on April 25, Air France is set to start flying from April 23 and Philippines Airlines is making a comeback after being absent for 10 years. Philippines Airlines will start operations from May 2, he told Bernama. Mohamed Sallauddin is also optimistic of British Airways coming back to
Malaysia.
“We haven’t got them since they left us since early 2000, but that doesn’t mean we have stopped approaching them. We have been speaking to them and we have high hopes of them returning,” he said. He said one of the many benefits of MAS joining the oneworld global alliance is it may attract more airlines to fly to Malaysia.
“I am just speculating but I think such a strategy will heighten interest and eventually British Airlines will return,” he added.
By joining the alliance, MAS will be able to fly its passengers to oneworld’s global coverage to 842 destinations in 156 countries. British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Qantas and Japan Airlines are among the oneworld members.
BERNAMA
