Malaysia's Mofaz Air ties up with Bangkok Airways

Malaysia's Mofaz Air ties up with Bangkok Airways

KUALA LUMPUR (AFP): Malaysian aviation firm Mofaz Air, a partner in Malaysia's second international airline, said it had joined with Bangkok Airways to expand its network and also had plans to link up with a Indonesian airline.

Mofaz had signed a memorandum of understanding in Thailand with Bangkok Airways to jointly develop routes currently not served by major airlines and cooperate in aircraft operation maintenance, officials said Sunday.

Bangkok Airways was represented by its president, Prasert Prasarttong-Osoth, while Mofaz chairman Mohamed Fauzy Hamid signed for the private aviation firm, which has a helicopter service and a pilot training center at its base on the northern Langkawi island resort.

"The two airlines will cooperate to expand networks, pool resources and gain mutual benefits from landing rights and immigration procedures," Fauzy said.

Mofaz is a 15-percent shareholder in AirAsia, the operator of Malaysia's second international airline, in which HICOM Bhd, the government's heavy industries entity, has a 85-percent interest.

Fauzy said the link-up would help the region develop the concept of the "Northern Growth Triangle" meant to encompass Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia.

The two carriers said in a joint statement that they would jointly develop routes in the northern growth triangle and share their sales-infrastructure to package and market destinations.

Mofaz Air said it planned a similar agreement with an Indonesian airline, but declined to name the potential partner.

The development came after Malaysia proposed a transnational mega-carrier for the East Asian Growth Area, through the formation of alliances among regional carriers.

Malaysia last month designated Pelangi Air, another private aviation company, to pursue Kuala Lumpur's commitment to the idea.