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advances to spur Malaysia Airports to greater heights as a smart aviation regional hub.
This month, Dato’ Mohd Shukrie Mohd Salleh is elated as passenger and aircraft movements grow further in Malaysia alongside the increase in cargo capacity. Following the recent complete rehabilitation of its third runway, he shares the airport operator will proceed next with works being carried out on Runway 1 soon in its efforts to maintain continuous safety of flight operations at its flagship airport. Domestic tourism promotions have also been initiated while aggressive cost containment measures continue to be adopted to combat the new coronavirus (Covid-19) at its airports.
I am happy to report that the steady growth they are keen to resume operations once the three-fold increase based on our latest July of our passenger and aircraft traffic reflects the confidence both local and international airlines have in increasing and recommencing their flights, especially at KL International Airport (KUL). Currently, we have 27 airline companies operating global routes to 30 cities in 20 countries, with 14 of them making at least one weekly flight for repatriation purposes. These flights, including transit flight connections, translate to about 149 weekly flight frequencies at KUL.
We have also witnessed an increase in cargo capacity by airlines. Besides the 20 freighter airlines operating in Malaysia that deliver cargo, our local carriers have converted the use of some of their passenger aircraft into cargo flights. We are optimistic that air travel will gradually regain its lost grounds as more than 30 foreign airlines have indicated borders fully reopen.
Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia recently conducted calibration and inspection works to assess Runway 3’s infrastructure readiness and ensured that it met the international safety and regulatory guidelines for flight operations after we completed its rehabilitation works. Under phase two of our Runway Sustainability Master Plan, we will embark on the rehabilitation works for Runway 1 in November. I would like to emphasise that we do not compromise the safety and service delivery of our airport operations as we rehabilitate our runways or replace our assets.
As movement across international borders are still restricted, Malaysia Airports will continue and intensify efforts to promote domestic tourism in Malaysia, where we have seen a statistics. In this respect, in conjunction with the first-ever KLIA Crazy Sale held at our flagship airport, we and Tourism Malaysia had jointly organised the recent Cuti-Cuti Malaysia Mini Travel Fair aimed at boosting the demand for domestic travel and helping both the industry and retail partners overcome Covid-19’s impact.
Our subsidiary Sama-Sama Hotel KLIA also joined in to offer guests to enjoy exclusive and unique airport experiences through their Airport Staycation package. I am proud that we are all doing our part to help revive the local businesses and have the airlines resuming more flights and routes to transport passengers and goods. Let us keep the Malaysia Boleh spirit flying high as we celebrate Malaysia Day on 16 September.