MAHB to gain back momentum in passenger numbers

Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB) is looking to gain back its momentum in passenger numbers with the latest implementation of the Recovery Movement Control Order (RMCO) that allows for domestic travel and tourism.

The airport operator said over the past two days it has seen a gradual increment in the flight movements offered by the local airlines at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) where the average daily flights increased by 15 per cent to 122 from 97 flights.

MAHB group chief executive officer Datuk Mohd Shukrie Mohd Salleh said this was an encouraging development for the air travel industry.

The similar patterns was also seen at other international and domestic airports nationwide where the passenger movements have increased three-fold over the last couple of days since the relaxation of the restrictions, he said.

"The airport community, including our airline partners and retailers, shares the same optimism with the easing up of the restrictions not just in Malaysia but also globally.

"We welcome the move by the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture to revive domestic tourism by launching the Cuti-Cuti Malaysia recovery plan and we also look forward to a time when international borders can reopen.

"We are already seeing several countries such as Singapore, China, New Zealand and Australia implementing the 'travel bubble' or safe travel corridor between countries and hopefully, Malaysia too can see this happening soon," he said in a statement today.

Malaysia's three main airlines -- Malaysia Airlines, AirAsia and Malindo Air, have reopened local flight routes and have aggressively stepped up their offerings to entice Malaysians to take a break and experience local travel after a three-month stay at home.

MAHB said this is on top of the enhanced travelling safety protocols being implemented at the airport and on-board flights to give assurance to the travelling public that their well-being will be safeguarded.

-- BERNAMA