SEPANG: Malaysia’s new low cost airline MYAirline Sdn Bhd (MYAirline) is optimistic that it will “spread its wings” to international destinations in the first quarter of 2023.
To begin with, the targeted international routes are around the Southeast Asian region, namely Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam.
MYAirline chief executive officer Rayner Teo said discussions on international flights had started earlier.
“We are hoping that we would be able to target our first international flight sometime during the end of the first quarter next year.
“International flights are slightly more complicated in terms of approval because we have to deal with more than one country,” he said after MYAirline’s inaugural flight to Langkawi from KL International Airport 2 (klia2) here today.
MYAirline today launched its first three routes from klia2 to Langkawi, Kuching and Kota Kinabalu, marking the official start of its operations in Malaysia.
According to Teo, flights to Kuching and Kota Kinabalu today reach a load factor of more than 80 per cent while for flights to Langkawi, it is about 70 per cent.
Teo said the company will also offer domestic flights to other destinations after this, namely Penang, Kota Bharu and Sibu after getting approval from the Malaysian Aviation Commission.
Currently, MYAirline has nearly 500 employees including 60 pilots.
Teo said at MYAirline’s first media round table session yesterday that MYAirline will be the first to use ergonomic seats that are lightweight, environmentally friendly and ‘pre-reclined’, which saves up to 900 kilogrammes of aircraft weight.
A ‘pre-reclined’ seat is a fixed seat that passengers cannot change or adjust. This seat does not force the passenger to sit fully upright nor does it allow the passenger to lean back as far as desired. – BERNAMA
