MALAYSIAN AIRLINES TO FOCUS ON NEW ROUTES WITHIN ASIA

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 25 (Bernama) -- Malaysian Airline System Bhd (MAS) will
concentrate on new routes within Asia in the future, said Managing Director and
Chief Executive Officer Tengku Azmil Zahruddin, citing the region as new
economic sparkle.

"Asia is where the growth is currently. If you look at the growth rates
projected for the next 10 to 20 years, this is where all the action is and this
is where we are.

"And we have to be a player in the Asian market," he said at the Check-In
Asia conference here Thursday.

"It is really a rebalancing exercise, and there are going to be a lot of new
routes but we are not going back to where we were before but actually moving
forward where the growth is," he said.

Previously, the airline had trimmed down its capacity by about 15 to 20 per
cent, mainly on non-profitable European routes.

"We are not going to reinstate the old routes, but we are still on the
lookout for more long haul routes," Azmil said.

He added that it would not be possible for the airline to reinstate its
previous capacity in one year.

"The previous loss in capacity was over a period of years and currently, we
don't even have sufficient aircraft to regain capacity. Moreover, it is not
prudent to grow that fast," he said.

-- BERNAMA