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