CH Teo

https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/business/2013/05/21/malindo-air-to-service-3-domestic-destinations/ Are they changing the complimentary allowance to 20kg from next Saturday, June 1, onwards?? Or is just a mere journalist error?

Introductory starts from RM 69 all in, higher than FY "Everyday Low Fares".... Anyone here plan to takes it or had secured seats for SZB operation?

SZB ATR operation is set to go, PEN, JHB & KBR listed in the booking engine as first phase of destinations...tickets sales should start very soon...

Some topic, from Bernama: - http://aviation.bernama.com/news.php?id=948602&lang=en

It's in the dropdown selection menu of destinations, but nothing inside yet, which mean not yet open for sale, just a prepration I guess...

MYY, SBW and TWU is on the list of the booking engine already, just wander when they are going to launch the sales for these 3 new destinations!

Malindo's sister airline in Indonesia, which is part of Lin group is set to fly: Indonesia’s largest low-cost carrier Lion Air launched its full-service Batik Air (photo above) at the country's main gateway Soekarno-Hatta Airport in Cengkareng, Banten, on Thursday. Batik Air president director Achmad Luthfie said that a maiden flight would be conducted on May 3 from Soekarno-Hatta's Terminal 3. "We are going to fly between Jakarta and Manado [North Sulawesi] during the first flight and later on we will fly the route twice a day," Achmad told reporters. He said that the new airline would put six Boeing B737-900 Extended Range (ER) aircraft into operation this year. "Our second aircraft will arrive on May 4 and connect Jakarta and Pekanbaru and the third on May 8," he added. Batik Air would offer 12 business class seats and 168 economy seats on each aircraft. Batik has obtained flight permits and approval from the Transportation Ministry to serve 66 domestic routes and 20 international routes. The full-service airline business, as opposed to no-frills flying, has excellent local prospects, given the rising number of Indonesians with disposable income. He said that local middle-class customers would likely switch from Lion Air to Batik Air as their incomes increased. Sources: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2013/04/25/lion-air-officially-launches-batik-air.html More analysis from CAPA here: http://centreforaviation.com/analysis/competition-between-indonesian-market-leaders-lion-and-garuda-to-intensify-as-batik-air-launches-106848 Now if the highlighted is true, when Malindo will get their 3rd plane? Who has an idea when deliver for this plane will come?

MASwings To Replace Ageing Twin Otter Aircraft By End-2014 MIRI, April 16 (Bernama) -- MASwings Sdn Bhd, a unit of Malaysia Airlines (MAS), will replace its three ageing DHC6-300 Twin Otter aircraft by end-2014 with the 19-seater DHC6-400 aircraft to better serve the rural areas in Sarawak and Sabah. Its chief executive officer, Datuk Captain Mohd Nawawi Awang, said MASwings will phase out the DHC6-300s, which had been in operation for 30 years and were no longer in production, once it completed the delivery of the new DHC6-400s by November 2014. Nawawi said MASwing will take delivery of the first DHC6-400 by end-August this year. The new aircraft will start service by September, he said. "The new aircraft will support the existing three DHC6-300s for the rural air services (RAS). We expect two more deliveries in October and November this year," he told a media briefing here today. Nawawi said the fifth and six aircraft were expected to be delivered in May and November next year. He said MASwings signed an agreement with Viking Air Ltd of Victoria, Canada in February this year to buy six DHC6-400s that included flight and maintenance training along with comprehensive spares support package. Nawawi said MASwings' fleet replacement programme will transform and redefine the RAS business which in the past was characterised, among others, by ageing aircraft, sub-standard facilities and limited frequencies. Currently, MASwings uses the DHC6-300s to service the RAS in Sabah and Sarawak covering 13 routes. The new DHC6 400s will have a stretcher for those in need of medical attention and is equipped with required navigation performance approaches equipment which will enable the aircraft to land during marginal weather thus reducing cancellation of flights. Sources: http://aviation.bernama.com/news.php?id=942450&lang=en At last, in one and half year plus time, the DHC-6 300 series will be gone; they had been working hard enough for East Malaysian over the past 3 decades, really time to say goodbye to them and get the newer "brothers"! Does all the F-series still flying with MH? FFA to FFE + MLD & MLE, shouldn't it be 7 altogether?

Indonesian Government To Audit Lion Air Following Plane Crash JAKARTA, April 15 (Bernama) -- The Ministry of Transportation is to audit the management of Lion Air following plane crash occurred on April 13 near Bali`s airport, Minister E.E. Mangindaan said here on Monday. "We will conduct special audit for Lion Air. Among factors that will be checked are the condition of all aircraft owned by the company, plane maintenance system and airline management," Indonesia's Antara quoted the minister as saying. He added the ministry will closely monitor every Lion Air flight to prevent similar crash to recur. As to the pilot and co-pilot of the ill-fated plane that crashed in Bali, both of them are grounded for two weeks to facilitate investigation. Lion Air management itself has stated its willingness to provide compensation for all passengers of the plane. Investigation on the cause of the accident is still on going. Lion Air flight JT904 from Bandung (West Java province) to Denpasar (Bali) crashed at sea last Saturday when it was to land at Bali airport. "The plane with seven crew members was carrying 101 passengers from Bandung, West Java, to Denpasar when it undershot the runway," said Lion Air`s Director General Edward Sirait. No report on casualties from the incident. -- BERNAMA http://aviation.bernama.com/news.php?id=942140&lang=en Better they push through the safety records for the benefits of JV business as well....even though this crash might be due to either microburst / wind shear...

Anyone can enlighted me whether ex 9M-LNB is fresh from factory or what? If the former and the incident is confirmed ex LNB, i guess not a good image for OD as well... Obviously, their main problems seems always over-run the runway...

KUL-KCH should be no problem, 2 hours or a little more non stop is sufficient for ATR 72; but KUL-BKI I dont think it's possible...but yea, the reports sounds a little weird...

PETALING JAYA (April 12, 2013): As Malindo Air remains tight-lipped over its plan to start turboprop operations out of the Skypark Terminal in Subang, industry observers and analysts are not discounting the possibility of the newly-established joint Malaysia-Indonesia airline getting the planes from its major shareholder – Indonesia's Lion Air. In February last year, Lion Air had placed an order for 27 ATR 72-600s, which when all are delivered in 2015 will make its regional subsidiary, Wings Air, the world's largest ATR operator, with a total fleet size of 60 comprising 20 ATR 72-500s and 40 ATR 72-600s. Standard & Poor's aviation analyst Shukor Yusof told SunBiz it is likely Lion Air will transfer several ATRs from Wings Air to Malindo Air for the latter to begin flights from Subang to Sabah, Sarawak and Singapore, currently dominated by Firefly. Malindo Air is reportedly seeking an operating licence from the Department of Civil Aviation to fly from the Subang airport, which only allows the operations of propeller aircraft for commercial passenger flights. At an April 4, 2013 event, its CEO Chandran Rama Muthy did not deny or confirm the rumours, except to say that the airline is "focused on jet operations at the moment". "If it happens, I see it will have a detrimental impact on Firefly which is now serving the full-service premium segment using the ATRs and where its fares are no longer as competitive as before (when it was operating as a low cost carrier)," said Shukor. "Malindo Air's turboprop operations would be competing head-on with Firefly on the lucrative short-haul routes out of Subang to Kuching, Kota Kinabalu as well as Singapore, and Malindo Air is likely to have an advantage over Firefly in offering lower fares. "This in turn could hurt Firefly's parent Malaysia Airlines which has been trying to turn itself around. "But as a consumer, I would welcome Malindo Air's turboprop operations as it would benefit passengers (by giving more choice of routes, frequencies and lower fares)," Shukor added. MIDF Research aviation analyst Chua Boon Kian believes that Malindo Air is likely to operate turboprops out of the Skypark Terminal as the terminal is unable to support bigger jet operations and take off of larger aircraft due to its short runway. Firefly and Berjaya Air currently fly out of Skypark Terminal, operating turboprop aircraft like the ATR 72-500 and DeHavilland Dash 7. "Skypark Terminal was designed for turboprop flights. If they can utilise the turboprops by their parent company (Lion Air), then there is a possibility (of Malindo Air flying out of Skypark Terminal)," Inter-Pacific Research Sdn Bhd head Pong Teng Siew told SunBiz. "While the terminal used to handle international flights in the past, there is a lack of facilities there now to handle jet operations unless it is upgraded," he added. Rumours are rife that Malindo Air, which has been on a recruitment drive prior to it beginning domestic jet flights out of the KL International Airport in Sepang on March 22, 2013, was also recruiting pilots for turboprop operations. Like Wings Air, an industry observer sees Malindo Air's turboprop operations from Malaysia feeding Lion Air's 737-900ERs operations in Indonesia as well as Malindo Air's jet operations. National Aerospace and Defence Industries Sdn Bhd owns a 51% stake in Malindo Air, while Lion Air holds the remaining 49% stake via parent PT Lion Grup. Sources: http://www.thesundaily.my/news/659904

Now, in response to Malindo recent launch; Malaysia Airlines today come out with the same rate for selected flights for the two routes that Malindo flown, that's really "competition feels goods"...wander why uncle Tony no response liao...

So, who has any idea when first Malindo ATR come in and where to be flown??

Flee, is it Malindo's current fleet was leased from Lion Air non fresh from factory as I see the previous registration is the Indonesian counterparts?

KUCHING, April 4 (Bernama) -- Malindo Air aims for direct flights from Borneo to China and Hong Kong by early 2014, said Chief Executive Officer Chandran Rama Muthy. He said the commencement of these flights will depend on market conditions. "Malindo Air is a price-competitive company and we have big plans for Malaysia," he told a press conference after officiating the Kuching route expansion here Thursday. "So far the support from the government has been very good and we will expand. Pricing will depend on the market, and we can leverage on the huge PT Lion Group and economies of scale," he said, adding the idea is to give a good product and low-cost operations, with Malindo Air's cost being very low. Chandran said as of March, Malindo Air has done well with a load of more than 70 per cent, and for the rest of the year the company is aiming for an 80-90 per cent load. "The next destination is Miri in June," he said. On expansion plans, he said right now the idea is to make Malaysia a transit hub for tourists coming in with Lion Air and also from the Malindo Air network. "The idea is to make Kuala Lumpur, Kuching and Kota Kinabalu as transit hubs, and we want passengers from Jakarta to go to Kuala Lumpur and Kuching, same goes with passengers from Pontianak to go to Kuching and Kuala Lumpur as it saves a lot of time," he added. http://aviation.bernama.com/news.php?id=939557&lang=en&cat=b

During initial days of MX series arrival, all passengers get one headset...

I would prefer Air Asia really controlling those passengers by blocking them to bring LOTS of hand carried items on board now in order to strictly adhere to the one hand luggage policy and offer the 1st 15 kg checked baggage for free or for RM 5 as seen during earlier years so that they can stay competitive as Malindo is in the Malaysian aviation picture now... During my last trip with them on last July on a East Malaysia domestic flight, people still bringing "tons" of hand carry items and making the cabin feel like sardins despite the low seat pitch...Same situation when I observed inbound passengers from other flights while waiting for it, really a lot! It would be GOOD if they really controlling the on board items!

Nice, waiting for more 737-900ER birds by OD around Malaysia...

The rate does not sounds like a LCC rate at all!

Looks like MH will face challenge when comes to Premium passengers, looks good!

Just a question, who can find when is the delivery slots for its' 3rd plane onwards as it was reported that more domestic routes and first international route will take off by June?

With 100 737-900ER going for Malindo over next decade from now, getting this number of Airbus A320 family sounds not so mind boggling as half of the Boeing commitment will be going to Malaysia JV already...

Spot on! I forget about it already...the rural folks really need new DHC-6! The current one had been around for almost 3 decades!

1. Coming October will be their 6th year of operation instead of 5th... 2. Going for Jets operation rumour had been around for almost a year, hopefully with the "ambitious" aims of the state government, BOD of MH will agree it and hope they can sustain if really launching it. 3. Looking forward for the new 600 series of ATR 72...