reezal

So they're buying a different variant, hope it's better than the 500 series. Here's a link to some photos of the ATR72-600 interior. Quite nice I must say esp the seats. http://www.flightglobal.com/blogs/wings-down-under/2011/07/photos-inside-the-atr-72-600-coming-soonish-to-virgin-australia.html

Anyone got more details on this new aircraft purchase? Are they buying the same type of ATR (ATR72-500)? or different type? Malaysia Airlines buying 36 new turboprop aircraft By BK Sidhu KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia Airlines (MAS) is expanding its fleet of turboprop aircraft with the purchase of 36 new planes. MAS said on Tuesday that of the 36 planes, 16 would be for MASwings and 20 would be allocated to Firefly. MASwings, which is Malaysia's first commuter airline, focuses on Sarawak and Sabah and provides connections within the two states. Firefly operates out of the Penang and Subang hubs and flies to various points within Malaysia, Southern Thailand, Singapore and Sumatera. SOURCE: http://biz.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2012/12/18/business/20121218105821&sec=business

Any upcoming new route/destination for D7?

TK has been mulling flights to KLIA since 2011. The airline was supposed to fly KLIA this year (according to an interview with TK CEO which I forgot where i read it) but I think TK will eventually fly to KLIA next year, 2013. Really hope this flight will materialize. Turkish Airlines to operate flights to Lankaran 8 December 2012, 14:19 (GMT+04:00) Azerbaijan, Baku, Dec. 8 / Trend A.Tagiyeva / Turkish Airlines Turk Hava Yolları (THY) has made a decision to operate regular flights to Lankaran, the Haberturk online newspaper said on Saturday. THY will also launch flights to the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Chad N'Djamena, the capital of Nepal Kathmandu and the Afghan city of Mazar-i-Sharif. The newspaper did not specify the launch date of the flights. SOURCE:http://en.trend.az/capital/business/2096909.html

Partnership with GoAir does make sense. AirAsia to focus on large JVs in bigger markets like IndiaCEO was in India on a second visit since foreign airlines were allowed to buy up to 49% in local airlines Updated: Fri, Dec 07 2012. 01 03 AM IST New Delhi: Malaysian discount airline AirAsia Bhd plans to focus on huge Asian markets such as India with large joint venture airlines, its chief executive Tony Fernandes said in online posts on Thursday. Fernandes was in Mumbai on his second visit to the country since the Union government in September allowed foreign airlines to buy up to a 49% stake in local airlines. “Feeling really good about India. Going to be a big market like China for AirAsia,” Fernandes said on Twitter. “AirAsia will focus on larger joint ventures. Think we are done in Asean (Association for Southeast Asian Nations). We focus on what we have.” His previous trip to India in late September was to receive an award from a fashion magazine. While Fernandes’s entries made evident his interest in running airline operations in India, it wasn’t clear how this would come about. He did not respond to an email seeking comment. AirAsia’s subsidiaries in other Asian nations—Thai AirAsia, Indonesia AirAsia, Philippines AirAsia Inc. and AirAsia Japan—face competition from new rivals such as Indonesia’s LionAir that have placed big orders for aircraft. Civil aviation minister Ajit Singh said in an interview this month that the government was keen on getting foreign capital into existing airlines. Fernandes last week rejected speculation that AirAsia, which operates a fleet of Airbus SAS planes, had “submitted a bid for the Indian budget carrier (SpiceJet)”, adding that the airline “has no intention of doing so”. SpiceJet Ltd primarily runs Boeing Co. aircraft and has a limited fleet of Bombardier planes to fly to small cities and towns. Jet Airways (India) Ltd, the country’s second largest airline by passengers carried, is in talks to sell a stake to Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates. Kingfisher Airlines Ltd has huge debt and so may not be attractive to AirAsia, while IndiGo, owned by InterGlobe Aviation Pvt. Ltd, has said it has no plans to sell a stake. That leaves only GoAir, which runs on an Airbus fleet, as a potential partner for AirAsia in India, said an executive with a private airline, declining to be identified. GoAir chief executive Giorgio De Roni could not be reached for comment. A text message sent to his mobile phone on Thursday remained unanswered. The airline executive mentioned above said AirAsia will face tough competition in India—where Air IndiaLtd, IndiGo, Jet Airways and its budget subsidiary Jet Konnect, SpiceJet and GoAir serve 60 million domestic passengers a year—unlike in Malaysia where only Malaysia Airlines is a major competitor. “In markets like the Philippines, AirAsia started with one or two planes. So when Tony says large joint ventures, he may want to start bigger in India, otherwise he won’t matter,” this executive said. A second executive with another private airline said AirAsia’s order for 280 Airbus aircraft will leave it with a huge surplus of aircraft, requiring it to tap into new markets. “If he (Fernandes) does start an airline in India, it is almost certain that he will start with a huge cost advantage over most other existing players because of the scale of his existing operations in Asean. AirAsia already has the lowest cost on per-unit basis in the world,” this executive said. “A record aircraft order of over 280 aircraft means a huge savings on capital cost of buying these aircraft. Industry estimates suggest a discount of over 50% on list prices. In addition, 100 of these aircraft are new generation A320 NEO’s that promise to bring a 15% reduction in operational costs as they have new engines,” he said. India still does not have a true hub-and-spoke airline—a large airline such as Singapore Airlines that flies primarily to one “hub” airport from where its passengers embark to their final destinations. Full-service airlines in India have for years not paid much attention to building their networks and connectivity. As a result, the entry of another low-cost airline would scare full-service airlines that are not prepared for additional competition, the second executive said. But he also said AirAsia will find its operations restricted in India because only about 35 of the 125 airports in the country have runways equipped to serve the Airbus 320 type of aircraft in its fleet. “That is the real risk. Why do you think SpiceJet went in for a two-aircraft strategy? Because if you are a single-aircraft type pure-play LCC (low-cost carrier), using an Airbus A320, you can’t grow beyond the 35 cities that can handle an A320 operation. That’s just one-third of the airports in India with about 90 airports that are available for scheduled airline operations,” the official said. SOURCE: http://www.livemint.com/Companies/PqS2goHPCCWmkwxgasjx6I/AirAsia-to-focus-on-large-JVs-in-bigger-markets-like-India.html

5 flights a day to HKG on weekends. That is quite impressive for a secondary airport like BKI. I counted 4 - MH, AK, KA, and this, HongKong Airlines. Who's the other one?

Not sure whether this flight is scheduled or chartered. Hong Kong Airlines to Start Kota Kinabalu Service from late-Jan 2013 by JL Update at 0200GMT 07DEC12* Hong Kong Airlines from 25JAN13 is introducing seasonal Hong Kong – Kota Kinabalu service, where it’ll offer daily flight on board Airbus A320 aircraft. 香港航空2013年1月25日起, 开始飞航 香港–亚庇 航线每日1班, 使用A320客机。 HX723 HKG1150 – 1450BKI 320 D HX724 BKI1635 – 1935HKG 320 D SOURCE: http://airlineroute.net/2012/12/07/hx-bki-jan13/

Flights to Balikpapan from KK, Kuching soon Published on: Sunday, December 02, 2012 Kota Kinabalu: Upcoming flights to Balikpapan via here and Kuching are not just commercially driven but in response to the Government's aim of improving connectivity between BIMP-EAGA countries, said MASwings' Vice President (Corporate Services and Communications), Yazid Mohamed. "We are the first airline that is showing determination in linking BIMP-EAGA towns," Yazid told a press conference at Tawau airport after the media's familiarisation trip to Balikpapan. However, MASwings would only proceed with the flights when it receives approval from the authorities. "We are still waiting for it. The launch is planned for Dec. 16, subject to approval. "When the flights are in operation and the response picks up sooner, we will try to increase frequency. Of course this is subject to aircraft time as well as the authority's approval." He said MASwings was not experimenting in this regard. "We are in this in the long run. The mere existence of MASwings is to provide the Government as an airline operator for rural air services. CSR is embedded in MASwings." Apart from commercial venture aspect as stated, Yazid also pointed out that their upcoming flights are intended to connect people among BIMP-EAGA member countries. "It's about bridging all these towns to enrich its people, to promote a better understanding between them, to open their minds so that all of us can acquire more knowledge about each other in order to eradicate stereotyping and misunderstanding." Spurring activities between these places and socio economic development was also among reasons. On why Balikpapan was chosen, Yazid said it was suitable in terms of the technical capability of the aircraft and due to no existing services currently connecting these points. "When there is no service, but potential in terms of market demand exists, why not provide services to nurture that demand?" "KK and Kuching are giants in this region. There's a pull factor. KK and Kuching will pull these people in which means one direction is already solved. "When we commence the Kuching to Balikpapan flights, people in Balikpapan can go to Pontianak via Kuching." The pattern of flight service is from Kota Kinabalu to Balikpapan, Balikpapan to Kuching, Kuching to Balikpapan, Balikpapan to Kota Kinabalu. The Inaugural ex Kota Kinabalu and Kuching will be on the same day. There will be four inaugurals in one day. "This is also subject to approval from various regulators in Malaysia as well as in Indonesia." The flying time between KK and Balikpapan is approximately one hour 55 minutes. It is almost the same for Kuching, he said. He also highlighted among Balikpapan's wealth as Oil and Gas as well as coal. "The economy's strength is there." Although demand for those going out of Balikpapan is just in theory, Yazid pointed out that due to the quite sizeable market of 700,000 in Balikpapan, he is quite confident that there will be a demand for KK and Kuching out of Balikpapan. Noting there are no direct flights from these points, he said that if there was an existing service that stopped, they could question that perhaps the demand was not there. He said KK and Kuching have their own pull factors. The demand is there and will only grow overtime, he said. According to travel agents, among reasons people in Balikpapan go out are for rest and recreation, holiday, shopping and medical purposes. According to him, rigorous beforehand study on the pull factors of Balikpapan, Kota Kinabalu and Kuching was conducted and it was found that there was demand for these destinations. "We have been to Tarakan, Bandar Seri Begawan and Pontianak." He recalled the success with Pontianak and Tarakan flights which started only three times a week then went to daily almost immediately. Due to competition, Bandar Seri Begawan in Brunei takes a bit of time to pick up especially because Royal Brunei Airlines also flies there. "Naturally if there is an existing service, it takes a bit more effort and time for it to be viable for us." Flights to Puerto Princessa in Philippines are also in the pipeline next year, according to Yazid. SOURCE:http://www.dailyexpress.com.my/news.cfm?NewsID=83474

The other 2 carriers probably Garuda Indonesia (they plan to fly MES-PEN with their spanking brand new CRJ1000NG) and Berjaya Air (SZB-PEN). Other prospective users probably Batavia Air, Cebu Pacific & Thai Smile.

I hope they will launch new flights to KUL with their new A330, as well as resuming scheduled services to BKI. TransAsia takes delivery of aircraft TransAsia Airways Corp (TNA, 復興航空), a listed carrier in Taiwan focusing on regional routes in Asia, yesterday took delivery of its first wide-body Airbus 330-300 aircraft from French-based aircraft manufacturer Airbus SAS. The new 300-seat plane, powered by Rolls-Royce Trent 700 engines, is scheduled to service routes to Singapore and Hokkaido, Japan, by the end of this year, a company official said. “The delivery is leading TransAsia to the next era,” company chairman Vincent Lin (林明昇) said at the delivery ceremony. TransAsia placed orders for two A330-300s in November 2010, with the price per aircraft set at just under US$150 million, according to company data. The second A330-300 aircraft is set to be delivered in January, boosting the carrier’s fleet to 20 aircrafts. Lin expects that the two A330-300 planes will raise the carrier’s revenue by 25 percent to 30 percent next year from this year as they offer a 40 percent increase in seats for international routes operated by TransAsia. With rising sales and the current level of fuel costs, Lin said he expected the carrier to generate a profit next year. The price of jet fuel stood at US$124 per barrel as of Nov. 2, down 5 percent from a month ago, data offered by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) showed. After the delivery of the A330-300 aircraft, TransAsia is looking to launch more regional services in Asia, with routes to Thailand and Malaysia expected to open next year, Lin said. Meanwhile, the carrier will continue to expand routes to Japan, with a Taipei-Tokyo service scheduled to be launched in the second quarter of next year following the government’s open-skies policy, Lin said. He said the carrier still welcomes investors with business experience in airline-related industries to invest in TransAsia. “We will not opt out of any cooperation opportunities,” Lin said. The private placement of NT$898 million (US$31 million) approved by TransAsia’s board of directors last year is also ongoing, Lin added. TransAsia saw its net profit total NT$153.21 million, or NT$0.28 per share, in the first nine months of the year, to give it the highest earnings per share (EPS) among the nation’s three listed airlines, the carrier said in a statement. Sales totaled NT$7.9 billion in the first 10 months of the year, up 8.56 percent from a year earlier, the statement said. TransAisa’s shares rose 2.84 percent to close at NT$14.5 in Taipei trading yesterday, compared with the TAIEX’s 1.11 percent increase. SOURCE: http://www.taipeitim...1/27/2003548684

Somebody saw MAS 4th A380 at KLIA today without the BLUE livery. Anyone knows why?

Did NZ ever serve KUL (KLIA)? I thought NZ only served Malaysia many years ago via Subang. Qantas also had PER - KUL (subang) flights (B767) and BNE - Jakarta - KUL (subang) (also with B767).

China Southern Postpones Guangzhou – Kota Kinabalu Service till late-Jan 2013 by JL Update at 0820GMT 08NOV12 China Southern Airlines has postponed planned service launch on Guangzhou – Kota Kinabaluoperation, due to start from 31OCT12. As per 08NOV12, the airline plans to start this service from 23JAN13, on board Airbus A319 aircraft instead of planned 737-700. Schedule: CZ3007 CAN1645 – 1945BKI 319 36 CZ3008 BKI2045 – 0005+1CAN 319 36 SOURCE: http://airlineroute....bki-w12update2/

They should collaborate with U Mobile :-)

Korean Air ups frequency to Kuala Lumpur S Puvaneswary, Kuala Lumpur, November 7, 2012 KOREAN Air will add more flights to Kuala Lumpur in December, the peak travel period for both South Korean and Malaysian outbound. The airline is adding an extra daily flight on the Incheon-Kuala Lumpur route from December 1-27, deploying a B777-300, according to Korean Air’s country manager for Malaysia and Brunei, Seiwan Kim. He said the average load occupancy of daily flights was 80 per cent. Kim also said the airline was looking at mounting eight charter flights between Incheon and Langkawi during the Chinese New Year period next year, but nothing has been confirmed as yet. Currently, Korean Air only flies to Kuala Lumpur. Tourism Malaysia’s director for South Korea, Mohd Amirul Rizal, said Jin Air was also expected to commence a total of 20 charters, comprising two charters weekly from December 22 between Kota Kinabalu and Incheon International Airport. SOURCE: http://ttgasia.com/a...article_id=4776

Ditched AirAsia long time ago when they started to charge check-In fee. MAS does offer cheap tickets most of the time, for domestic that is. Prefer FY, CX and 3K these days.

I think it's time for people to switch to other airlines - MAS, Firefly and soon Malindo.

Berjaya Air flies to Hua Hin Posted on 31 October 2012 - 05:38am Eva Yeong sunbiz@thesundaily.com KUALA LUMPUR (Oct 31, 2012): Berjaya Air Sdn Bhd will begin thrice weekly flights from Subang to Hua Hin, Thailand on Nov 18 on its ATR 72-500 following the launch of the new destination yesterday. As a partner of the Tourism Authority of Thailand, Berjaya Air will be the first foreign airline to fly into Hua Hin, which is the sixth destination for the airline. "Berjaya Air operates in a niche market of sun, sea and sand to destinations such as Tioman, Langkawi, Pangkor and Redang and spreading our wings to Hua Hin was very much a natural decision as Hua Hin has similar marketing potential to the rest of our current destinations," said Berjaya Air director Datuk Azlan Meah at the launch yesterday. The flights, aimed at golfers and leisure travellers, will be on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays. "Hua Hin has the added advantage of having three world-class golf courses – Black Mountain, Banyan and Spring Field. "Presently, golfers have to suffer a time wasting three-hour ride from Bangkok but with the introduction of our direct service, golfers can now enjoy an additional six hours on the course. "Over and above sea lovers and golfers, we hope to target the leisure travellers who will have the opportunity to enjoy the beauty and tranquility of Hua Hin, which is also the Thai royalty's summer retreat," said Azlan. Hua Hin will be Berjaya Air's only flight to Thailand, after having stopped its flights to Koh Samui in March this year due to lack of frequency and aircraft. Azlan said it is not looking to reinstate flights to Koh Samui as there are "a lot of challenges" with many big airlines flying there now. He said Berjaya Air will expand slowly and organically, with focus on growing its latest destination and the introduction of more domestic destinations. "We are going to Kota Baru in the next one to two months and Penang after that." Berjaya Air currently flies from Subang to Tioman, Redang, Pangkor and Langkawi, and from Singapore to Tioman and Redang and Azlan said it is not looking at collaborations or at starting a jet operation for now. "It (collaborations) is not our main agenda at the moment, but in the near future if new ideas come along we shouldn't be left behind. "We have not looked at jets seriously as our hands are full serving current needs." The airline currently operates three Dash 7 aircraft (48 seats) and two ATR 72-500s (72 seats). Berjaya Air general manager Adelie Lee said it has options for another two units of the ATR 72-500, but it does not have plans to exercise the options yet.

euww..what the hell is that?...the previous livery is soooooooooo much BETTER & classier!

It's no longer a rumour. Air France has mentioned flights to Kuala Lumpur starting April 22 2013 on its website. 3 times a week with B777-200. FLY OFF TO MINNEAPOLIS-ST.PAUL AND KUALA LUMPUR WITH AIR FRANCE NEXT SUMMER Tuesday 23 October 2012 Air France is continuing the development of its international long-haul network, the most extensive in the world, with two new destinations in summer 2013: Minneapolis-St. Paul (Minnesota) and Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia). Minneapolis-St. Paul: travel to the heart of America From 21 May to 1 September 2013, Air France will operate flights to Minneapolis-St.Paul (Minnesota) from Paris-Charles de Gaulle* airport. This seasonal destination will be served by Airbus A340 with a total capacity of 275 seats, equipped with 30 seats in Business, 21 Premium Economy seats and 224 seats in Economy. In the United States, Minneapolis-St.Paul will be the 11th Air France destination** in addition to Delta Air Lines’ existing service. Minneapolis-St. Paul is one of the Delta’s major hubs serving 118 destinations in the United States and Canada, with 452 daily departures. This new Air France flight to Minneapolis-St. Paul will be operated as part of the trans-Atlantic joint venture between Air France-KLM, Alitalia and Delta Air Lines, offering additional connecting opportunities between networks in Europe and North America. The partner airlines are choosing to concentrate their capacity on routes linking together their hubs. Kuala Lumpur: in the heart of Malaysia Starting 22 April 2013, Air France will operate three weekly flights to Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) from Paris-Charles de Gaulle airport. This destination will be operated by Boeing 777-200 with a total capacity of 247 seats, equipped with 4 seats in La Première, 49 seats in Business, 24 seats in Premium Economy and 170 seats in Economy. In order to offer customers increased comfort on its routes, Air France plans to operate night flights to and from Kuala Lumpur. Ticket bookings will open on 9 November. In Asia, Kuala Lumpur will be the 15th destination** served by Air France. This new service is in addition to the 205 weekly flights operated between Paris, Amsterdam and Asia by Air France and KLM. This flight completes the flight offering between Europe and Malaysia, with the daily flight already operated by KLM to Kuala Lumpur. Customers wishing to travel to Indonesia from Europe will also benefit from connecting opportunities to Jakarta offered by KLM. * 5 weekly frequencies from 21 May to 16 June, and subsequently 1 daily flight from 17 June to 1 September 2013 **during summer 2013 Flight times (local times) To and from Minneapolis-St.Paul - AF 694: Departure from Paris-Charles de Gaulle at 13:50 – Arrival in Minneapolis-St. Paul at 16:05 - AF 697: Departure from Minneapolis-St. Paul at 20:00 – Arrival at Paris-Charles de Gaulle at 11:25 To and from Kuala Lumpur (local time) - AF 246: Departure from Paris-Charles de Gaulle at 19:40 – Arrival at Kuala Lumpur at 13:50 - AF 241: Departure from Kuala Lumpur at 23:15 – Arrival at Paris-Charles de Gaulle at 06:10 Information and bookings online at www.airfrance.com, by phone at 36 54 (€0.34 including tax per min from a landline), Air France agency or from a travel agent. SOURCE: http://corporate.air...ce-next-summer/

Happy Airways already started operation like 2 or 3 years ago, they used to fly Phuket-Langkawi which lasted for several months, and they were scheduled to fly HDY-SZB but the flight never took off. Not sure what happened to this airline these days. i'd like to add 2 more airlines in the DEFUNCT section 9. Thai Sky Airlines (used to fly to KLIA) 10. One-Two-Go Airlines (ceased operations after the deadly crash in Phuket)

AirAsia to Start Kuala Lumpur - Kunming AirAsia is continuing its expansion in China with the launch of flights to Kunming, capital of the southern province of Yunnan. The new route from Kuala Lumpur will operate four times a week (Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays) from 10 December 2012, using an all-economy, 180-seat Airbus A320 aircraft. Bookings for the new flights start tomorrow (23 October). “The addition of the Kuala Lumpur–Kunming route enables us to further strengthen our route network into China as we now have a total of 24 routes from Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Kota Kinabalu, Bangkok, Phuket, Chiang Mai and Clark operating flights into 13 cities in China,” said AirAsia’s Malaysia-based CEO, Aireen Omar. The entry into Kunming follows the recent announcement of AirAsia flights from Bangkok to Wuhan and Xi’an, as well as from KL to Nanning. The airline now offers 24 destinations in China. SOURCE:http://www.traveldai...kunming-flights

I think that Jakarta Post article clearly stated that AF will use its own metal for KUL flights.

Firefly eyes expansion between S'pore, E. Malaysia SINGAPORE: Firefly Sdn Bhd is eyeing the possibility of expanding its services between Singapore and Sabah and Sarawak and reinstating the flights between the city state and Terengganu. Its chief executive officer, Ignatius Ong, said the community airline was constantly studying and reviewing its network to ensure optimal utilisation of its assets. In certain cases, he said, existing routes may project increasing demand and vice versa. "Subsequently, time and market demand may also encourage us to consider reinstating former routes. In such instances, we will dynamically review the routes where appropriate adjustments are made when necessary. "We must also look into our current fleet to ensure we have the right planes with the right range to service some of our potential destinations," he told Bernama here today. Ong said Firefly would continuously seek new and exciting destinations to ply to and most importantly those seen profitable. "We prefer to grow organically, in line with the vision of our parent company, Malaysia Airlines (MAS)," he said. Ong said Firefly currently provided connectivity from Singapore to Subang, Ipoh, Kuantan and Kota Baharu (its newest route). On the new route Kota Baharu, Ong said, the airline has received relatively favourable response, "just as we forecast in the pre-mature stage during the development of this route." "However, we are still closely monitoring the performance of this route as in any market development phase, a lot of marketing effort, strategic low pricing and efforts are expanded and we will be reviewing its long-term sustainability in the next few months," he said. Firefly introduced four-weekly flights between Singapore and Kota Baru in August this year. Moving forward, Ong said, the airline expected the pattern and behaviour of this route to improve further. Firefly, a wholly-owned unit of MAS, started operations in April 2007. Currently, it operates a fleet of 12 ATR 72-500 turboprop out of Penang and Subang, connecting secondary destinations within the Indonesia-Malaysia-Thailand Growth Triangle as well as providing air linkages between Malaysia and Singapore. -- BERNAMA SOURCE: http://www.btimes.co...icle/index_html

This is definitely a GOOD NEWS for KLIA, if AF does want to fly here next year! I hope it would be sooner, say Q1.