langkawi magazine

Archives SECTION

Malaysia Airlines to Add Flights to Kuala Lumpur

Malaysia Airlines is beefing up its Taiwan connection with the introduction of three additional weekly flights servicing the Taipei-Kuala Lumpur route in November, the international carrier's Taiwan chief said yesterday.
"From Kuala Lumpur, you may take connecting flights to virtually every part of the globe - be it in North America, Europe, the Middle East or in Africa. We operate almost everywhere," Malaysia Airlines Area Manager Suffian Malik told the Taiwan News.
Founded in 1947 as a small air service operating one twin-engine, five-seater Air Consul, Malaysia Airlines System had since grown into one of the world's mega carriers, operating a fleet comprising over a hundred aircraft and servicing more than 100 destinations spread across six continents, Suffian continued.
The airline currently operates seven weekly flights each from Taipei to Kota Kinabalu, and Kaohsiung to Kota Kinabalu - Malaysia's second busiest airport. It also operates five weekly Los Angeles-Taipei-Kuala Lumpur flights, said the airline industry veteran.
India, where the carrier services nine cities, was another booming market for Malaysia Airlines, he added.
According to a financial report released by the airline last month, the carrier's profit after tax reached RM57.6 million (roughly NT$479 million) and RM216.9 million (NT$1.8 billion) for the third quarter and nine months ending December 31, 2004 respectively. Growth was driven by stronger growth in passenger and cargo traffic, the airline said, although high fuel prices remained a "serious concern."
Last year, the carrier also moved aggressively to expand its international network. Thrice weekly services into Stockholm and Ahmedabad were launched while the Kuala Lumpur-Fukuoka service was reinstated, said the airline. Twice weekly flights between Sydney to Kuching were also introduced to promote East Malaysia as a tourist destination.
In Taiwan, Suffian said he had also been busy cooking up campaigns designed to raise the carrier's visibility. His team, together with Malaysia Airlines' industry partners, recently introduced value-for-money golf packages in Kota Kinabalu and Kuala Lumpur, he said. The NT$22,500-package included airfare, hotel accommodation, greens and caddie fees, and meals.
Packages for Golf Enthusiasts
"Within a radius of 50 kilometers in Kuala Lumpur, you will find 28 golf courses," Suffian said. "The average golf fee in Malaysia is 70 Malaysian ringgit including greens and caddie fees, and meals. Those golf courses are also open to non-members. You could walk in and tee-off right away."
Malaysia Airlines was also hosting a golf tournament for 70 sports enthusiasts at the Miramar Golf Club today, and would be co-sponsoring the ASEAN Golf Tournament in Taiwan in May, he added.
Asked if the December 26 tsunami had seriously affected the carrier's business in Taiwan, Suffian said the airline got 700 cancellations in the two weeks following the disaster. This however lasted only for three weeks, he continued.
"We were not much affected compared with other countries," he said, noting that only portions of Langkawi and Penang island were damaged by the tsunamis.
"Only one or two hotels in Penang and a fishing village were damaged, but because those were quite small, we were able to (rebuild) the place immediately."
It was ironic that some tourists even canceled trips to Kuala Lumpur - an area that was unaffected by the tsunamis, said Suffian.
"The general perception of people was - tsunami meant the Asian region, and that's not true of course," he said.

17/03/2005