Firefly in talks to buy new planes

KUALA LUMPUR: Firefly is negotiating with several aircraft manufacturers to buy new planes to fuel the community airlines’ robust expansion plans two years from now, chief executive officer Ignatius Ong said.

He said the airline was keeping its options open on the range of the aircraft, which might be bigger in size from the turboprops the airline was currently using.

“If Firefly buys bigger airplanes, the community airline can shift its focus to medium-haul routes from the current short-haul destinations,” he told reporters at Firefly’s Hari Raya open house here yesterday.

Currently, Firefly, a subsidiary of Malaysia Airlines (MAS) operates 12 turboprops, all have been 80% utilized.

“We are aiming for brand new planes.

“On the number of aircraft to be acquired, it all depends on the manufacturers and what the market has to offer.

“We are talking to the manufacturers to know the slots they have for aircraft delivery, and then we have to bring back the proposals to MAS’ board,” Ong added. — Bernama

Source:  http://biz.thestar.com.my