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Firefly keen to fast-track aircraft delivery

 

KUALA LUMPUR: Firefly plans to take early delivery of aircraft to tap growing demand in Asia.

 

Chief executive officer Ignatius Ong said the company is studying a plan to accelerate the delivery of aircraft ordered by its parent, Malaysia Airlines (MAS).

 

Last December, MAS ordered 36 ATR 72-600 turboprop planes for RM3 billion from French-Italian aircraft maker ATR. Firefly will receive 20 aircraft while the rest are for MASWings.

 

Ong said Firefly's expansion plans are under way, with the frequencies and more destinations to be added in a phased approach, in line with the delivery of the new aircraft.

 

Firefly, which returned to the black last year after bleeding red in 2011 due to its short-lived jet operations, is set to receive two aircraft from June, and four to six more over the next two years, Ong said.

 

The rest will be delivered over several batches from 2016, he added.

 

Ong told Business Times that Firefly is working closely with the manufacturer to accelerate the delivery schedule.

 

He said the delivery of the two ATRs alone this year will help raise passenger loads by about 10 per cent to 75 per cent.

 

Firefly aims to carry 1.8 million passengers this year and around two million by June next year. Last year, it served 1.6 million passengers.

 

As of November 2012, Firefly's fleet of 12 ATR 72-500s operated more than 100 flights per day. It serves more than 25 destinations within Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and Indonesia.

 

Firefly now operates from its bases in Subang and Penang and is planning its third and fourth hubs in Johor and the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia.

 

On talks that Firefly may serve the Philippine, Vietnamese and Myanmar markets, Ong said the airline will be expanding its operation but declined to comment further.

 

He also declined to reveal how much Firefly is forecasting to make this year.

 

"We aim to grow by 15 per cent to 20 per cent this year. All our routes are performing well and we aim to strengthen them when more new aircraft arrive. We will continue to align our network strategies to ensure the most efficient performance in the long run," Ong said.

 

Prior to 2010, Firefly was said to be making around RM10 million to RM12 million in net profit.

 

Source: http://www.btimes.com.my/Current_News/BTIMES/articles/20130422002459/Article/index_html

Edited by flee

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Does anyone know which East Coast airport is their hub going to be based at ?

I would imagine that it would be KBR as FY loads into and out of KBR is very good.

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