KOTA KINABALU – Malaysia’s newest low-cost carrier MYAirline Sdn Bhd plans to make Kota Kinabalu its second hub after Kuala Lumpur by year-end.
Chief executive officer Rayner Teo said while the company is eager to make this a reality as soon as possible, the aviation industry is highly regulated.
“We have plans to make Kota Kinabalu our hub. But like other countries, the aviation industry in Malaysia is highly regulated.
“Realistically, the soonest will be by the end of this year,” he said during last night's roundtable talk with the press.
According to Teo, Sabah has much potential as a hub, and the carrier is upbeat about getting support from tourism bodies for its plan.
“Besides domestic flights, I think there is a lot of potential in international offerings with Sabah as a hub,” said Teo, adding that other considerations are taken into account aside from flight demands.
MYAirline currently reports a 96% load factor for its Kota Kinabalu flights and has signed a lease for 17 more Airbus A320s as part of its expansion plan.
Teo said MYAirline will be introducing its Kota Kinabalu-Tawau route in April and will see its first international flight made with the new batch of planes.
MYAirline is currently in talks with regulators from Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam, to which Teo pointed out that the first international route will go to whichever nation gives the carrier the clearance first.
Among the international destinations MYAirline is eyeing are Bali and Jakarta in Indonesia and Bangkok in Thailand, he said.
Load factor is a metric used in the airline industry that measures the percentage of available seating capacity filled with passengers. – The Vibes, April 6, 2023
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