When Firefly was launched in April 2007, many aviation heavy weights, i.e. AirAsia's boss Tony Fernandes, dismissed it as a joke. But 5 years on, FireFly has proven to be a success and is serving quite well on a short haul point-to-point business and tourism travel to secondary destination. FireFly, based in Subang and Penang, flies to 20 mostly secondary destinations in Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and Singapore with 12 ATR72-500 turboprops. It is not a suprise that they have been a financial success since they can fill 80 percent of the seats and use and aircraft which can still break even with half the seats empty.
Firefly flies from two hubs, Penang and Subang in Kuala Lumpur. The domestic flights from Penang are Langkawi, Kota Bharu, Subang, Kuala Terengganu and Kuantan 2 flights daily, as well as to Koh Samui and Phuket in Thailand a daily flight. The flights out of Subang are Penang, Langkawi, Alor Setar, Johor Bahru, Kuala Terengganu and Kota Bharu, Singapore, Koh Samui in Thailand and Pekanbaru in Indonesia. However, Firefly announced on March 8, 2009 that flights from Penang to Kuala Terengganu, Kota Bharu, Koh Samui and Kuantan have been temporarily suspended.[8] In 2011, the routes to Kuala Terengganu, Kota Bharu, and Kuantan from Penang have been reinstated.[1]
FireFly flies from Singapore to Kuala Lumpur (Subang), Kuantan and Ipoh. Its Singapore - Kuala Lumpur service is especially popular with bussiness travellers since the airline flies to Subang Airport, only 20 minutes from Kuala Lumpur city center. Other than being nearer to city compared to KL International Airport in Sepang, it also takes less time to get to plane and get out of airport in Sepang. FireFly also started to fly from Singapore to Kota Bharu.
Firefly has been launched on April 3, 2007, as the first community airline in Malaysia. The airline is operated by MAS Sdn Bhd (346606-K) formerly known as FlyFirefly Sdn. Bhd, and is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Malaysian Airline System Berhad. Operating out of the Penang and Subang hubs, Firefly provides connections to various points within Malaysia, Southern Thailand, Singapore and Sumatera of Indonesia, aligning itself with the Indonesia-Malaysia-Thailand Growth Triangle (IMT-GT) agenda.
[1] - Firefly
Firefly flies from two hubs, Penang and Subang in Kuala Lumpur. The domestic flights from Penang are Langkawi, Kota Bharu, Subang, Kuala Terengganu and Kuantan 2 flights daily, as well as to Koh Samui and Phuket in Thailand a daily flight. The flights out of Subang are Penang, Langkawi, Alor Setar, Johor Bahru, Kuala Terengganu and Kota Bharu, Singapore, Koh Samui in Thailand and Pekanbaru in Indonesia. However, Firefly announced on March 8, 2009 that flights from Penang to Kuala Terengganu, Kota Bharu, Koh Samui and Kuantan have been temporarily suspended.[8] In 2011, the routes to Kuala Terengganu, Kota Bharu, and Kuantan from Penang have been reinstated.[1]
FireFly flies from Singapore to Kuala Lumpur (Subang), Kuantan and Ipoh. Its Singapore - Kuala Lumpur service is especially popular with bussiness travellers since the airline flies to Subang Airport, only 20 minutes from Kuala Lumpur city center. Other than being nearer to city compared to KL International Airport in Sepang, it also takes less time to get to plane and get out of airport in Sepang. FireFly also started to fly from Singapore to Kota Bharu.
 |
| A FireFly ATR72-500 in Langkawi Airport |
[1] - Firefly
That is a good news. It will give a boost to the travel industry in Singapore and we could see more people apply for Singapore visa. This will boost the overall growth of the tourism industry across the border.
ReplyDelete