MAHB sees vaccination roll out, travel bubbles to improve air traffic numbers

By ANIS FARHANAH MALEK
anisfarhanah@dagangnews.com

KUALA LUMPUR 15 Feb. - Recent announcements on nationwide COVID-19 vaccination roll-out starting April and reciprocal green lane / travel corridor arrangement (RGL/TCA) between Malaysia and Indonesia are expected to have a positive impact on the recovery of the national aviation industry in the coming months. 

Despite the drop in overall passenger traffic movements in Malaysia last month, international passenger traffic had increased by about 25% from the preceding month, even with border closures and strict quarantine measures. 

This underscores the latest demands for travel especially for business, employment and education purposes. 

Group chief executive officer of Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad (MAHB), Datuk Mohd. Shukrie Mohd Salleh is also hopeful that airport front liners will be among those who would be in the first batch to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.

"Since the start of the pandemic, we have been vigilant in ensuring the highest safety standards at the airport so that people can travel safely. 

“The national vaccination programme will certainly help our efforts. With the programme in place, we also hope that more travel bubbles can be implemented similar to the one that will happen between Indonesia and Malaysia, perhaps with other countries within South East Asia (SEA). 

“Pre-COVID-19, nearly 50% of our international traffic is from the SEA region,” said him in a statement today.

According to MAHB, KL International Airport (KLIA) captured the bulk of the increase at 97% of the total international traffic recorded. 

During the same month, KLIA had welcomed Starlux Airlines' inaugural flight for the Kuala Lumpur-Taipei route thus increasing KUL's connectivity within the region.

It said, this twice-weekly route is an addition to Starlux's Taipei-Penang route that started early last year.

Air traffic data for January 2021 has shown that border closures and re-imposition of domestic travel restrictions once again adversely affected air traffic movements that had been showing initial signs of gradual recovery after the easing of travel restrictions in the second half of 2020. 

Passenger traffic movements in January 2021 for Malaysia operations dropped by about 30% compared to the preceding month, whereas it had increased by more than 240% when comparing December against November 2020.

MAHB said, the group traffic movements are still largely contributed by operations at Istanbul Sabiha Gokcen International Airport.

“Meanwhile, cargo operations remain resilient with KLIA welcoming its latest cargo airline partner from Lithuania, Get Jet Airlines last week. 

“The private charter airline has chosen KLIA to be its main base for its Jakarta-Kuala Lumpur route and will look to connect to more destinations from South East Asia to Central Asia,” said MAHB in the same statement. - DagangNews.com