The minister stated that the airline would be named Flymojo and would operate from two hubs. These are Johor Bahru Airport and Borneo Island’s Kota Kinabalu Airport. Johor Bahru faces across to Singapore and is the principal entry point for the city-state while the airport at Kota Kinabalu is a primary access point to East Malaysia.
Deputy-minister Aziz Kaprawi says the government has already agreed terms with Bombardier to buy 20 aircraft with a total value of US$1.5 billion. The agreement has a proviso allowing Flymojo to purchase another 20 aeroplanes which could take the value of the order up to US$2.9 billion.
Flymojo has ordered Bombardier CS100s and these can be figured to accommodate a maximum of 125 passengers. The government did not disclose exactly when Flymojo would be taking to the skies, but local airline industry sources say it could be as early as this October.
Malaysia to establish new regional airline
News in Asia
The Malaysian government has released details of a plan to set up a new airline that will fly to regional destinations in the south and east of the country. On Tuesday, prime-minister Najib Razaka and deputy transport minister Aziz Kaprawi both attended the Langkawi Island Maritime and Aerospace Exhibition where the latter gave details about the plan.