Firefly eyes 100,000 passengers annually for KL-Sandakan route

SANDAKAN: FlyFirefly Sdn Bhd, a unit of Malaysian Airline System Bhd (MAS), is targetting to fly 100,000 passengers annually, on its new Kuala Lumpur-Sandakan route.

"We are operating this new route with our latest Boeing 737-800, which has a seating capacity of 189," said managing director Datuk Eddy Leong yesterday.

The community airline, which flies twice daily non-stop services between Kuala Lumpur and Sandakan, however, does not provide business-class travel for its passengers.

"We like to focus on less developed routes to make it more popular," he told reporters after the inaugural flight here yesterday.

Under Firefly's code-share agreement, passengers would be able to purchase tickets from MAS' distribution network worldwide.

He added that Firely was targeting tourists, both domestic and international.

"There's lot of European traffic to Sandakan and passengers originally booked on Malaysia Airlines' direct flights between Kuala Lumpur and Sandakan from today (Monday) would be transferred to Firefly's flights or re-routed on Malaysia Airlines' flights via Kota Kinabalu at no additional cost.

Together, MAS and Firefly will offer a maximum capacity of 3,654 seats weekly for KL-Sandakan route and 4,662 seats for Sandakan-KL.

MAS executive vice-president for commercial strategy Datuk Dr Amin Khan said: "Both airlines have teamed up to improve connectivity and capacity between the two cities as there is potential for increased leisure and holiday travel on this route, especially the proximity of Sandakan to several internationally-acknowledged eco-tourism attractions like the Sepilok Orang Utan Sanctuary and the Sipadan islands."

"Sandakan is popular among Europeans because it has a unique wildlife and attractive flora and fauna," Leong added.

He said travellers on Kuala Lumpur-Sandakan route would continue to enjoy the same benefits they were used to on Malaysia Airline like aerobridges for their comfort and safety.

"It also offers them a chance to experience the renowned award-winning Kuala Lumpur International Airport from where we operate," he added.

On budget fares, Leong said Firefly would focus on offering people low fares, but with world-class quality.

Sandakan was the fourth airport that Firefly operates in Sabah/Sarawak, after Kota Kinabalu, Kuching and Sibu.

The community airline plans to open three new routes, namely to Tawau, Bintulu and Miri next year. - Bernama