KUALA LUMPUR – Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB) remains confident of the gradual recovery in passenger traffic at its hubs, with another airline starting operations along with the resumption of flights by other carriers.
In a statement today, MAHB said its flagship Kuala Lumpur International Airport last month welcomed back Cathay Pacific after a three-year hiatus.
Cathay is offering weekly flights to Hong Kong from here, and is looking forward to the inaugural flight of Starlux Airlines from Taipei next month.
“This new flight is an addition to its Taipei-Penang route that started early this year. As air travel slowly returns to normalcy, the airport continues to be diligent in the implementation of various safety measures to boost passenger confidence.”
Meanwhile, at Penang International Airport, Indonesia AirAsia is looking to resume its operations from Kuala Namu this month.
With this resumption, it will be the sixth foreign airline to restart operations in the state.
On top of that, local airline Firefly will begin operating in Penang as its second hub with the introduction of new routes from the island to Kuching and Kota Kinabalu starting next month.
“The gradual resumption of airline operations and the introduction of new routes continue to provide us with the optimistic outlook of recovery in the aviation sector,” said MAHB.
“With the interstate and inter-district travel ban recently lifted, and the upcoming long holiday season, we are expecting passenger movements to improve this month.
“Passengers can travel confidently via our airports with peace of mind, as we have continuously implemented various Covid-19 safety measures since the onset of the pandemic.”
As for cargo operations in Malaysia, new e-fulfilment hub Cainiao Aeropolis eWTP started operations last month, just in time to provide smart supply chain support to the global “11.11 Singles Day” online sales by facilitating 24-hour delivery within the country and 72-hour delivery to the rest of the world.
“The eWTP hub is a joint venture between Malaysia Airports and Alibaba’s logistics unit, Cainiao, occupying 2.6 million square feet with 1.1 million square feet of warehouse space,” said MAHB.
The facility is projected to increase cargo volume by 700,000 metric tonnes, doubling KUL’s current volume to 1.4 million per year by 2029.”
It added that cargo operations in Malaysia continue to show resilience by recording an average of 65,000 metric tonnes a month from January to November, compared with 78,000 metric tonnes a month last year. – Bernama, December 15, 2020
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