INFRASTRUCTURE: Aviation

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Originally Posted by nazrey

MALAYSIA REGIONAL AIRPORTS
Kuala Lumpur International Airport
Sepang, Selangor

MAHB in final stage of assessing RM400mil aerotrain bids
By Farah Adilla - August 29, 2021 @ 12:26pm

KUALA LUMPUR: The tender to replace Kuala Lumpur International Airport's ageing aerotrains, estimated at RM400 million, is at the final stage of evaluation process.

Malaysia Airport Holdings Bhd said it had identified a final shortlist of bidders for KLIA's Automated People Mover (APM) tender after completing the technical evaluation stage.

The shortlisted bidders are now being assessed on their commercial offers.

The tender was expected to be concluded over the next two months, MAHB said in a statement.

"Malaysia Airports' tender approach puts priority on first meeting its business objectives, as well as the project's technical and performance requirements. All submissions are evaluated objectively and fairly according to the set requirements," it added.

MAHB said all three aerotrains currently in operation in KLIA were due for replacement as the assets were approaching their end-of-life stage.

Two of the aerotrains have been in service since the airport first opened in 1998 with a third train added in 2010.

The company said in the last 20 years, APM technology had evolved significantly, superseding the one currently in use in KLIA and making the maintenance of an ageing asset unviable in terms of operational and cost efficiency.

The replacement trains would also be able to cater to the airport's future growth, it added.

In 1998, KLIA's Terminal 1 annual traffic movement was 13 million passengers before growing to 29 million passengers in 2019.

The tender was floated in July 2020 after MAHB had completed three feasibility studies to determine the best possible solution for connecting passengers between the main terminal and satellite buildings.

On top of the feasibility studies, the airport operator had also conducted a series of stakeholder engagements with the Ministry of Transport, the Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia, the Malaysian Aviation Commission and the Land Public Transport Agency to gather the necessary feedback.

Following these, it was recommended that the best possible solution for KLIA was to do a like-for-like replacement of all systems related to the APM.

MAHB said a like-for-like replacement has the advantage of being the least disruptive, as well as the most practical and cost effective.

"However, it was also determined that the airport should be open to evaluate all other APM technology that is available in the market. This was in the spirit of promoting fair competition and to ensure that the chosen solution is the best fit in terms of performance requirements, the least disruptive in implementation, and based on the latest technology."

In general, there are two main types of APM technology currently available in the market today involving the train and rail track systems namely self-propelled and cable-propelled.

"For KLIA, there were several criteria that were critical to its business requirements and therefore given more emphasis. One of which was that this new APM system is a brownfield replacement project in a busy airport.

"The airport is currently using a self-propelled system. As such, replacing the trains with similar but newer technology is the least disruptive in terms of operational downtime and infrastructure readiness. Other major criteria include the system's reliability, availability, ease of maintenance, safety and flexibility in catering to future needs," MAHB said.

MAHB said as part of the APM tender requirements, bidders were provided with three submission options:

First is the baseline submission, meaning a bid solely for the replacement of all three trains and their corresponding systems infrastructure.

Option 1 is a bid that includes the baseline submission plus the outsourced maintenance cost until 2034.

Option 2 is a bid that includes the baseline submission plus the outsourced maintenance cost and financing until 2034.

"These options were put on the table in order for Malaysia Airports to receive and review the best possible bid available on a total life cycle cost and different financing options basis," it said.

https://www.nst.com.my/business/2021...aerotrain-bids

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MAHB allocates up to RM700 mil capex for Airports 4.0 initiative
Bernama August 27, 2021 20:03 pm +08

KUALA LUMPUR (Aug 27): Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB) is allocating between RM600 million and RM700 million capital expenditure (capex) for its Airports 4.0 digital initiative for the next five years.

Group chief executive officer Datuk Mohd Shukrie Mohd Salleh said the big chunk of the allocation would be spent on the first two to three years of the plan as it involves major facility upgrades focusing on safety and security, passenger experience, airport operations and workforce innovation.

He said the airport operator has so far completed its network migration to a new core network architecture at KL International Airport (KLIA), costing almost RM50 million, to leverage on the latest cutting-edge technologies such as 5G, WiFi6 and Internet of Things.

MAHB would also implement the biometric facial recognition technology that provides up to six times efficiency during check-in boarding, self-service bag drop as well as enhanced MYAirports mobile app by year-end.

“We want to have a fully integrated digital ecosystem that will enable our real-time information collaboration and connectivity at all of our airports.

“We want to have a safe and world-class passengers experience at our airports and to ensure the assets that we have will be run efficiently and optimise the processes that we currently have,” he told reporters during an “In Conversation with Malaysia Airports” session held virtually today.

Commenting on the recovery of the local aviation industry, Mohd Shukrie said the industry could achieve its pre-pandemic level in the first quarter of 2024 or the earliest by end-2023.

“I’m pretty sure it would not be back at its pre-pandemic level next year,” he said, projecting Turkey would achieve the pre-pandemic level faster than Malaysia given its higher passenger traffic.

As for border reopening, he said MAHB is well prepared and always ready to instill passengers’ confidence to enjoy a safe and contactless engagement experience.

MAHB has received the global Airport Health Accreditation by the Airports Council International (ACI) for the KLIA, Penang International Airport, Kota Kinabalu International Airport, Kuching International Airport, Langkawi International Airport as well as Istanbul Sabiha Gokcen International Airport in Turkey.

The safety measures at these airports are benchmarked against global standards following the Airports Council International (ACI) Aviation Business Restart and Recovery guidelines and International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) Council Aviation Recovery Task Force recommendations along with industry best practices.

On other developments, he said MAHB has finalised its proposal for KLIA’s new land lease agreement that is more attractive and adequately addresses the issue of attracting foreign direct investment (FDI) as well as development rights.

The company would also present the proposal on its Subang Regeneration plan which has been submitted to the Transport Ministry, he said.

Both proposals would be tabled to the Cabinet soon, he said.

“Once approved, we should be able to be in a better position to develop the land surrounding KLIA moving forward.

“Under the current operating agreement and land lease agreement that we have, it is not that conducive in terms of attracting investors.

“It is going to be for a longer tenure rather than now which is pretty short and on top of that the terms will be a lot friendlier to attract FDI and for us as well,” he added.

https://www.theedgemarkets.com/artic...-40-initiative

KLIA

Subang Airport

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Malaysia allows B737 MAX to restart ops, says CAAM
By Ayisy Yusof - September 2, 2021 @ 6:15pm

KUALA LUMPUR: The Boeing 737-8 and Boeing 737-9 (B737 MAX) are now being allowed to resume operations in Malaysia, following the release of the Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia (CAAM) Safety Directive 01/2021.

CAAM chief executive officer Captain Chester Voo Chee Soon said the government agency had today approved the operations of the B737 MAX here after the aircraft was suspended from operating on March 13, 2019.

The approval came after the release of CAAM Safety Directive 01/2021 - Operations of Boeing 737-8/-9 (MAX), dated September 2, 2021.

CAAM said this revoked the previous safety directive issued on March 13, 2019, prohibiting B737 MAX 8 in Malaysia.

https://www.nst.com.my/business/2021...-ops-says-caam

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All Malaysia Airlines' operating pilots, cabin crew vaccinated
Tuesday, 17 Aug 2021

KUALA LUMPUR: National carrier Malaysia Airlines has recorded a 100 per cent vaccinated status for all its pilots and cabin crew on active roster, according to its parent company, Malaysia Aviation Group (MAG).

MAG, through its COVID-19 Immunisation Policy which started in July 2021, has made it compulsory for all employees to be vaccinated with the COVID-19 vaccine, except for those with health and medical reasons.

In a statement today, MAG said the group managed to accelerate the vaccination rate of its Malaysia-based employees, which currently stands at 95 per cent.

https://www.thestar.com.my/business/...rew-vaccinated

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Malaysia Airlines ready to facilitate travel to Langkawi from Sept 16
Bernama September 03, 2021 15:44 pm +08

KUALA LUMPUR (Sept 3): Malaysia Airlines is ready to facilitate travel for fully vaccinated customers to Langkawi, following the government’s decision on activation of the Langkawi travel bubble from Sept 16, 2021.

Malaysia Aviation Group (MAG) chief executive officer (CEO) Captain Izham Ismail said that currently, Malaysia Airlines operates four times daily to Langkawi and will adjust its capacity to meet customers' demands accordingly.

"This is indeed the starting point of reviving domestic tourism, helping boost the socio-economy of the people impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic," he said in a statement today.

According to Izham, in conjunction with the reopening and upcoming Malaysia Day, Malaysia Airlines is offering flight tickets from as low as RM89 for all-in fares, while its tour operating arm, MHholidays, is offering travel packages (flight tickets plus hotel rooms) with up to 50% discounts.

Recently, MAG achieved 100% vaccinated status for all its pilots and cabin crew on an active roster, which further provides passengers with assurance and peace of mind.

According to the statement, Malaysia Airlines has enhanced its safety and health protocols across multiple touchpoints at airports and on board as recommended by the International Civil Aviation Organization Council's Aviation Recovery Task Force (ICAO CART) to ensure customers and employees' safety is protected.

The measures in place include mandatory usage of face masks, frequent aircraft disinfection and early replacement of aircraft HEPA filters to ensure an effective air circulation system capable of filtering out 99.97% of microorganisms on board.

https://www.theedgemarkets.com/artic...ngkawi-sept-16

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Malindo Air to take delivery 10 Boeing B737 MAX, employ up to 1,500 staff
By Ayisy Yusof - September 6, 2021 @ 8:36am

KUALA LUMPUR: Malindo Airways Sdn Bhd (Malindo Air) is expected to gradually take delivery of 10 units of Boeing 737 MAX aircraft from its parent Lion Air Group from early next year.

The decision came after the Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia's (CAAM) approval to allow operators/airlines to operate the B737 MAX in Malaysia, an internal source said.

The source said Malindo Air was preparing to reinstate the B737 MAX services in Malaysia and closely working with CAAM to rectify the airline's airworthiness permit to resume operating the aircraft.

Malindo Air had initially taken the first B737 MAX on May 22, 2017 with scheduled flights to destinations including Australia, China, India and Asean countries.

"At the moment, Malindo Air is ready for the commercial reintroduction of the B737 MAX in anticipation of the market rebound in domestic tourism and international tourism," the source told the New Straits Times (NST) when contacted recently.

Malindo Air had projected a complete rebound in the domestic market by the year-end, followed by a gradual recovery of the international market by December 2021 or January 2022, the source added.

https://www.nst.com.my/business/2021...loy-1500-staff

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• Video Link

Malaysia Airlines is embarking on a journey that will see it make the most of current and future technologies with the aim of making contactless air travel a reality for its passengers.
http://www.travelnewsasia.com/news21...ssTravel.shtml