Govt still doing due diligence on MASwings acquisition — Lee
KUCHING: The Sarawak government is still conducting due diligence on the taking over of MASwings, said state Transport Minister Dato Sri Lee Kim Shin.
He said it was premature to discuss on the number of aircra to be purchased for the state’s intention to set up a boutique airline until the takeover process of MASwings has been completed.
“We are still doing the due diligence of taking over MASwings and once we have completed the whole thing, we will have a more concrete plan so it is still premature for us to talk about the number of aircra needed, at the moment,” he said.
Lee was speaking to the press at the VIP terminal of Kuching International Airport a er welcoming a maiden flight by an ARJ21-700 model aircra manufactured by Commercial Aircra Corporation of China (Comac) yesterday.
The minister said the ARJ21700 model aircra is well-suited to serve the regional routes throughout Borneo and can travel up to 2,000 miles within two and a half hours.
The plane can accommodate 78 seats with a business class section, and 97 seats without business class.
Thus, Lee added, the ARJ21-700 was among the aircra models being considered by the state government but comprehensive technical studies and evaluation have to be completed before a final decision can be made.
Among the ma ers the state government has to consider, he pointed out, is whether airports with shorter runways, particularly those located in rural areas, are suitable for the operation of an aircra bigger than turboprop and Twin O er aircra .
He also informed that Indonesia has placed an order for another 60 of this ARJ21-700 aircra , with two currently being operated by Trans Nusa Airline.
Lee also said his officers had recently a ended the Singapore Airshow before managing to arrange a demo flight by the ARJ21-700 aircra to Kuching yesterday.
Another model, C919, manufactured by the same company, is still on display in Kuala Lumpur.
Among those in a endance were Chinese Consul General in Kuching Xing Weiping, and Deputy State Secretary Datu Mohamad Abdullah Zaidel.