Local aviation gradually recovers: Transport Minister
By Ayisy Yusof
September 7, 2020 @ 6:14pm
SEPANG: The local aviation sector has seen signs of gradual recovery in passenger traffic movements at airports operated by Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB), said Transport Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong.
Wee said the sector was one of the hardest hit by the Covid-19 pandemic due to the closure of international borders, which had grounded aircraft around the world and mega airports reduced to resembling ghost towns.
"Despite airports in Malaysia remaining open throughout the Movement Control Order (MCO) to facilitate the transport of essential goods and repatriation of Malaysian citizens abroad, we saw almost zero passenger traffic movements in March, April and May," he said.
Similar to July, passenger traffic movements for August was about 1.3 million, whereas in June, it was only about 430,000.
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE
"Although, this is a sign of improvement, it will be some time before we see numbers going up to pre-Covid-19 levels," Wee said at the launch of MAHB's e-commerce platform called shopMYairports here today.
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has predicted that short haul travel might only recover in 2023, while long haul travel in 2024.
"Obviously, there are many variables to factor in but this forecast could be attributed to slow coronavirus containment in major world markets and developing countries, reduced corporate travel, and weak consumer confidence," Wee said.
He said the government was in talks with several counterparts to achieve reciprocal agreements in allowing borders to open.
He said MAHB had actively been working towards enticing and assisting airlines to fly into Malaysia through the Network Reconnecting Programme (NRP).
The NRP aims to facilitate the resumption of flight routes to Malaysia once borders are opened.
Through the NRP, Wee said MAHB would encourage and assist its airline partners to fly to its network of airports nationwide again, while providing additional benefits such as a year-long discount on aeronautical charges.
"The government applauds any initiative undertaken by the private sector to help revive the industry.
"Once borders are opened again, a key factor in recovery lies in our ability to reassure the public that travelling in and to Malaysia is safe. Therefore, I am looking forward to see some of the health and safety measures that MAHB had implemented safety reassurance initiatives introduced at the airports," he said.
Meanwhile, Wee said the government was expected to announce a new operating agreement with MAHB, without detailing out the timeframe.
He said the government had yet to receive any proposal from the carriers on the potential merger for airlines to brave the Covid-19 pandemic that had eroded travel demand.
"We will inform the updates on the operating agreement very soon and it is very positive," he added.