Tsunami will not affect Asian travel

Tsunami will not affect Asian travel

Flag carrier Malaysia Airlines said in remarks published over the
weekend it believed the tsunami disaster would not severely
affect travel demand in the region.

Managing director Ahmad Fuaad Dahalan told The Star newspaper
that prospects for the region's airline and travel industry this
year remained bright, barring further crises.

"We believe that the recent tsunami disaster will not severely
impact overall travel demand," he said.

"We are confident the tourism industry will recover in the
short term as various governments and the international community
are working together and focused on rebuilding the affected
territories."

The United Nations has said it fears the death toll from the
disaster may already be 150,000 across the South and Southeast
Asia region.

Sixty-six people died in Malaysia in the tsunamis.

While Malaysia lies closer to the epicenter of the earthquake
than many countries harder hit, it was protected from the full
force of the waves by Indonesia's Sumatra island.

Ahmad Fuaad said the airline's strategy this year remained
focused on "developing our regional dominance and growing our
China, India and ASEAN markets."

It plans to launch services to China's Kunming and Calcutta in
India by January, and to Xian in China by March.

The carrier now operates more than 50 narrow-body aircraft for
domestic and regional routes, but he said it was holding talks
with aircraft manufacturers to replace and grow its fleet.

The carrier will upgrade 17 Boeing 777s and 15 Boeing 747s to
enhance its appeal to the business market and improve its premium
seat capacity, while adding two 747 freighters to its cargo fleet
in 2006, he added. -- AFP