‘Airline industry must take off’
Loke: No more protectionism, competition good for market growth
PUTRAJAYA: More competition between airlines in Malaysia will be beneficial to the aviation industry, says Transport Minister Anthony Loke.
The government, he said, did not believe in protectionism and he also said that the local airlines should grow in a competitive market.
“We are not going to protect any airline. We do not believe in protectionism, we believe in competition. We want a competitive market.”
“I think the share of the cake in the aviation industry is very big and there is a lot of room for more growth.
“So with more flights that come in, more tourists will arrive in Malaysia and that will also boost the tourism industry,” he said yesterday at the welcoming ceremony of IndiGo airlines’ inaugural flight to Malaysia.
IndiGo, which is a low-cost carri-
er from India, has launched nonstop daily flights between New Delhi-Kuala Lumpur and BangaloreKuala Lumpur.
Founded in 2005, IndiGo is the largest domestic airlines in India, with a market share of 43% and a fleet of 195 aircraft.
Loke expressed confidence in the ability of Malaysian airlines to com-
pete with those from other countries.
“When there is more competition, this will push our airlines to perform better by providing better service and also more competitive fares,” he said.
Loke said India has a huge tourism market that Malaysia should tap into, adding that Malaysia was
hoping to bring in 1.9 million tourists. The target, said Loke, would require a growth of 400% from the present figure of 500,000 tourist arrivals in Malaysia from India.
He encouraged IndiGo to increase the number of routes in Malaysia and also to add newer destinations such as Langkawi, Penang and Kuching.
We are not going to protect any airline. We do not believe in protectionism, we believe in competition. Anthony Loke