Newstrack

Malaysia Airlines works towards 5 year plan

Anupama Sushil - New Delhi

Malaysia Airlines, one of Asia's largest flying airlines is currently finalising its five-year network plan, developing new routes and increasing frequency between its major destinations. Speaking exclusively to Express AviationWorld, Christopher Yek of Malaysia Airlines said that India, being one of the largest contributors to Malaysia Airline's South Asia operations with a contribution of over 70 per cent to both passenger load and revenue, the airline has seen a double - digit growth year on year for the last three years. Talking about the Indian market potential, he said that India has a better potential for growth in the short to medium term, and in many respects it is a much easier market to deal with. Also, with a yearly growth rate of over 15 per cent, it has become a very capital intense market.

With the load factor further surging, the airline has also been successful in creating a higher demand on certain specified routes beyond Kuala Lumpur. This growth has been seen with improvement in the route rationalisation plan of last year.

The airline is currently finalising its 5-year network plan and will be looking to develop new routes and increasing flight frequency from South East Asia and other regions in the world. He further added that the airline will continue to focus on its hub-an-spoke approach to enhance carrier yields, passenger load factor and to realign from its unprofitable routes. With MAS on track for e-ticketing rolled out in September 2007, the airline is now able to sell through different channels, bringing out higher levels of customer service. With the rising potential and the tremendous growth to not only Malaysia, but even to sectors like Indonesia, New Zealand, Australia and China, Malaysia Airlines anticipates that the high load factor will continue, thereby further giving a boost to the airline.