Malaysia Airports eyeing Mid-East deals
SEPANG: Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad is planning to spread its wings to manage airports in Oman, Saudi Arabia and Jordan.
MAHB managing director, Datuk Bashir Ahmad Abdul Majid, said they were proposing to manage and run the airports.
"We are in discussions with these airports," he said after receiving passengers from Kuwait Airlines maiden flight at Kuala Lumpur International Airport yesterday evening.
He added at present the company was helping to manage airports in New Delhi and Hyderabad.
He also said several airlines from China and India had shown interest to fly into KLIA, however, he declined to give details.
Transport Minister Datuk Seri Chan Kong Choy after the function said two more airlines would be flying into KLIA next year.
The Airlines are Cebu Pacific Air and FinnAir.
"This will bring a total of 47 airlines operating into KLIA," he said adding that Kuwait Airlines was the seventh airline from Middle East.
In 2005, he said Malaysia received 700,000 tourists from the Middle East and the numbers were expected to go up during next year’s Visit Malaysia Year.
On other matters, Chan said the ministry would propose to publish an on-time performance for both, AirAsia and Malaysia Airlines.
"It will be done from time to time. We are talking to the airlines, I am sure they will be supportive," he said referring to the recent spate of events between both the ministry and the airlines.
In August, the minister had told the airlines to stop giving excuses and instead show results by leaving and landing on time.
AirAsia Bhd chief executive Datuk Tony Fernandes had proposed to improve the air traffic control system and add more runways to reduce delays.
Source: New Straits Times