MASwings records a 15 per cent jump in international tourists

By Olivia Miwil - May 15, 2018 @ 6:36pm
Pictures and video by Mohd Adam Arinin/NSTP

KOTA KINABALU: MASwings has seen an increase of about 15 per cent foreign tourists boarding the regional airlines which operates in Sabah, Sarawak and Labuan.

Its chief executive officer Aminuddin Zakaria said when MASwings started operations in 2007, there were less than 5 per cent international tourists.

“Now, the number goes up to about 15 per cent out of the total passengers.

“Among the popular destinations that these tourists would travel for are outdoor activities in Kota Kinabalu, Mulu and Tarakan,” he said, adding the airlines has about 1.2 million passengers annually.

Aminuddin was speaking after a MASwings familiarisation programme for media and those in the tourism fraternity. Participants could also experience the newly refurbished cabin services on its ATR 72-500 aircraft.

He said the regional airline is committed to promote tourism in both Sabah and Sarawak, especially for the young travelers.

The airlines has thus invested about £200,000 (RM1.07mil) for in-flight services in its 10 Maswings ATRs.

The improvements, he said, included better quality seat cushion, anti-dirt mat for the aisle, revamping of its in-flight meal as well as upgrading the image of its cabin crew.

Besides that, Aminuddin said while the airline abides with regulatory services set by the aviation authority, some announcements will be localised, in terms of greeting tourists in the local dialects and the introduction of tourist attractions to passengers.

The airline is now flying to 23 destinations in the region.