MALAYSIA PURSUING MORE AIR SERVICE AGREEMENTS WITH ARAB COUNTRIES

KUALA LUMPUR, May 14 (Bernama) -- The government is working at signing more air service agreements with Middle Eastern countries to have more flights between Malaysia and these countries.

Transport Minister Ong Tee Keat said among the latest
developments was that low-cost carrier AirAsia would have five flights weekly to
Tehran, Iran from July.

He said efforts to enhance air service between Malaysia and the Middle East
was in line with the government's aim of attracting more Middle Eastern tourists
to Malaysia.

"However, this will depend on collaborative discussions in obtaining landing
rights for Malaysia from the Arab countries," he said after launching the
"Marhaba Gold Card", a tourist card, here, Thursday.

Ong said to date, Malaysia had signed air agreements and memorandums of
understanding with 11 Middle Eastern countries.

He said six countries, namely Bahrain, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, United Arab
Emirates and Yemen had given flexible landing rights to Malaysia without
restrictions on the number and type of aircraft and frequency of flights.

Ong said nine airline companies in Middle Eastern countries like Saudi
Arabia, Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Oman, Qatar, Yemen and Iran operated 66 flights
to Malaysia per week.

"Malaysia Airlines, on the other hand, flies 33 times weekly to the Middle
Eastern countries."

Meanwhile, IMAF Sdn Bhd executive chairman Akram Youssef said the Marhaba
Gold Card provided a diverse range of benefits for Arab tourists, including
great discounts on shopping, hotel stay, and visits to major tourist attractions
and other places of interest.

-- BERNAMA