Kota Kinabalu: MASwings is looking at three new destinations under the second phase of its BIMP-EAGA plans. Its Chief Executive Officer Datuk Capt Mohd. Nawawi Awang said he is eyeing Indonesia's Makassar and Balik Papan and Philippines' Davao City under phase two.
He said phase two could only be launched if the first phase proved a success and prior approval from its parent company, MAS, and would likely unleash the plan by mid-year.
"These also depend on our aircraft availability, and with the three current new routes it is just enough to cater to them.
"We have discussed with MAS and they want us to add another two ATRs into MASwings," he said during the airline's Kuching-Pontianak flights launch last Friday, adding that MASwings is also on the lookout to lease two ATR72-500 to cope with demands.
The Tawau-Tarakan route launched Monday would also be the final route in MASWing's phase one plan. The other routes are Kota Kinabalu to Bandar Seri Begawan, Kuching to Bandar Seri Begawan and Kuching to Pontianak all having been launched in a span of less then two weeks.
The flight from here to Tarakan takes about 30 minutes, while those using ferry would have to undergo a four-hour journey.
MASwings flies to Tarakan three times a week.
MASwings currently relies entirely on its fleet of 10 ATR 72-500 and four Twin Otter aircraft to serve the three routes and its Rural Air Services destinations.
Currently, MASwings would operate one flight daily between Kuching and Pontianak, twice daily between Kota Kinabalu-Bandar Sri Begawan, thrice weekly between Kuching-Bandar Seri Begawan.
He said for MASwings to launch phase two they would require bigger aircraft such as the Bombardier or any narrow-bodied jet like Boeing 737-400/800 or Airbus 320/319.
"To Makassar we are looking at flights via Tawau because it's a bit far for our ATRs to fly and also Davao City. Both routes need bigger aircraft," he said.
Meanwhile, Nawawi sees the Kuching-Pontianak route as a profitable as it recorded a daily seat load factor of almost 100 per cent since its launch in Feb 6 compared to its Brunei destination.
"Initially, we forecast Brunei would fare better but perhaps we may need to aggressively campaign the destination.
"We may need to collaborate with other travel partners to introduce new packages for the route," he said.
Meanwhile, for the Tawau-Tarakan sector , Nawawi expects pre-load factor to exceed 70 per cent within a month of operations since it has already hit 50 per cent days before its official launch.
MASwings also has the exclusive contract to serve the Sabah and Sarawak Rural Air Services (RAS) up until 2017.
MASwings is also undergoing a fleet renewal programme to replace its aging Fokker 50 aircraft with the ATR75-500.
While most ATR could load about 70 passengers at one time, MASwings only equipped it with 68 seats to provide more leg room and aisle space.
Boarding the maiden flight on the ATR72 to Tarakan was Deputy Transport Minister Datuk Abdul Rahim Bakri.
Asst Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Bolkiah Ismail said the discussion about creating if for the BIMP-EAGA sector had been on-going for 18 years.
He was confident the sector would be able to boost the regional tourism industry, especially in Sabah since about 90 per cent of visitors that came to the State did so via air.
Sabah recorded the best tourist arrivals last year with 2.8 million compared to 2.6 million in 2010.
MASwings Chief Executive Officer, Datuk Captain Mohd Nawawi Awang said the company understands the need of the people in Sabah and Sarawak.
He described the flight as a "bridge" to link the regions in Malaysia and Indonesia in boosting the tourism and economic sectors.
Hopefully with a good response, MASwings would one day become the "official airline" for the region, he said.
