Anthony Loke: Meeting Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia, More Flights & Cheaper Fare

Minister of Transport YB Anthony Loke Siew Fook paid a visit to the Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia (CAAM) at the Kuala Lumpur Air Traffic Control Center Complex (KLATCC) in Sepang, Selangor.

Tan Sri Mohd. Khairul Adib Abd. Rahman, Chairman of CAAM, greeted him, as did Datuk Captain Chester Voo, Chief Executive Officer of CAAM. During his visit, he was shown the complex's high-tech facilities and systems and heard a briefing from Datuk Captain Chester Voo on CAAM's initiatives for 2023 and CAAM's accomplishments in 2022.

Following that, Anthony Loke informed the media that, beginning in the second quarter of 2023, CAAM will implement the Standard Instrument Departures (SIDs) and Standard Instrument Arrivals (STAR) systems to reduce landing time for arriving flights.

He further added that, “When air traffic movement is shortened, it will also reduce fuel and operation costs for airline companies. With the new systems in place, it is estimated that airline operators could save RM500 million annually on fuel costs and shorten passenger flight time by as much as 22-minutes”.

As part of the International Civil Aviation Organization's (ICAO) Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA), this will indirectly help reduce carbon footprint, according to Loke.

In addition, Loke stated that the ministry had sought CAAM's assistance in ensuring that all air traffic control towers, particularly those in Sabah and Sarawak, extend their operating hours to allow airline operators to increase flight frequencies at night.

CAAM has agreed to extend its operating hours for a week before and after Chinese New Year, as well as during Hari Raya Aidilfitri. Loke is also urging airline operators to increase their flight frequencies in order to address the issue of a lack of flights while also helping to reduce flight ticket prices.

(Source: Bernama)