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Mike P

Firefly Setting Up New Hub in Senai (JHB)

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Not only KCH and BKI will be affected, I suppose all flights out of JHB will be affected, including those to Indonesian Cities.

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Better off as they already have JHB - BKI flights canceled occasionally.

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SUBANG JAYA (May 16, 2013): Firefly, the turboprop operating subsidiary of Malaysia Airlines (MAS), is mulling parking its planes at the Senai International Airport in Johor as early as next month as it works to deal with growing congestion in Subang airport.


"We will probably be looking at the first two new aircraft (from its latest order for 20 ATR 72-600s) to be parked in Johor. We're still deciding... the (first) one we are taking delivery of next month... we may park it in Johor. We need to look at the schedule first because the schedule dictates where our aircraft should be," FlyFirefly Sdn Bhd CEO Ignatius Ong told SunBiz in an interview last week.


Firefly will receive 20 of the 36 new ATR 72-600s ordered by MAS from late June.


"We are actually crowding out the place (Subang airport) already because we have 12 aircraft, of which nine stops here (Subang) at night, two in Penang and one in Kota Baru.


"With our nine aircraft as well as Berjaya Air's, Subang airport is pretty much (utilised) to the maximum, so we are working with Subang Skypark Sdn Bhd and Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd to see if they are going to develop the airport further. I think there are plans but it is probably better for them to tell you," he said.


News of Terminal 2's redevelopment have surfaced since 2011, with the developer of SkyPark Terminal – Subang Skypark, tipped as the winner of the project. However, no official announcement has been made to date.


SunBiz understands that while the redevelopment plan of Terminal 2 has been approved, the contract has yet to be awarded to any party.


"We have not really decided how many aircraft to park in Johor, it depends on the number of frequencies and destinations that we're going to put in Johor. There are a couple of factors (to consider).


"We also need to ensure that there is a good balance because in terms of maintenance and parts, it's still here (Subang)," said Ong.


"Thus, we cannot park too many planes there. It is not a viable option in terms of speed and getting things done. We will probably be looking at the first two aircraft to be over in Johor," he added.


This will be Firefly's second attempt at establishing a base in Johor after trying and aborting efforts in 2011.


"It would have worked then as well (during predecessor Datuk Eddy Leong's time), but we did not have enough aircraft. So, when the new aircraft comes in, I think it is the right time to get into Johor," said Ong.


He also pointed out that in 2011, the property development boom in Johor had not started.


"But now you really see it and you have (places like) Puteri Harbour Resorts, (and you see) a lot more people coming in and people buying land there. (Eventually,) you will have expatriates making Johor their second home and having a seamless hassle-free connection to Kuala Lumpur via Firefly. That's what we're seeing as a big potential," he said.


Currently Firefly flies five times daily between Subang and Johor.


"Basically there's still a lot of unfulfilled demand and we are also looking into different points to play with. For example, we do Johor-Kota Baru. No airline does this in Malaysia.


"We do these kind of flights and we're not restricted by the hubs that we have. In Kota Baru's case, it's not a full fledged hub, we have one aircraft parked there but that's also for operational reasons.


"We are a flexible airline, (and so when) we see movements (at a particular point), (we think) let's go fly (there) and satisfy the demand and we do it," said Ong.


Firefly also plans to service international destinations out of Senai Airport again once the hub is more established. The airline had previously operated flights to Surabaya and Bandung out of Senai Airport back in 2011 for a few months.


Source: The Sun

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SUBANG JAYA (May 16, 2013): Firefly, the turboprop operating subsidiary of Malaysia Airlines (MAS), is mulling parking its planes at the Senai International Airport in Johor as early as next month as it works to deal with growing congestion in Subang airport.

 

What about OD's ATR at SZB? Make way for OD or FY ordered too many ATR than needed? :sorry:

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Firefly to launch JB-Pekanbaru route

 

 

JOHOR BARU: Firefly will introduce a scheduled service between Johor Baru and Pekanbaru in Indonesia from Aug 1 this year to July 31, 2014.

"We are targeting both business and leisure traffic out of Johor Baru. We intend to provide Johorians a smarter travel option for them especially with Hari Raya just around the corner.

"Complementing its direct access is the convenient travel time into both cities that provides tremendous ease, reasonable rates and excellent customer service to customers," Firefly's CEO Ignatius Ong said in a statement Friday.

He said Firefly will utilise its ATR 72-500 turbo prop aircraft, which has a seating capacity of 72, on this route.

"This is Firefly's first international turboprop operations out of Johor with the aim of bringing both Malaysian and Indonesian points closer to each other, whether it is for the purpose of business or leisure," he added.

The service will be available four times a week, departing from Johor Baru at 10.20am and arriving at Pekanbaru at 10.40am. The return flight leaves Pekanbaru at 11.00am and arrives in Johor Bahru at 1.20pm.

Firefly is offering a special promotion of RM99 all-in fare in tandem with its sixth year birthday celebration and Everyday Low Fare (ELF) campaign until further notice, whereby 500,000 seats are up for grabs and sold for as low as RM49.

http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2013/6/7/nation/20130607225115&sec=nation

FY new route from JHB hub.

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