KUALA LUMPUR, July 16 — Central Airlines from Shenzhen, China, has become the third cargo airline to begin operations at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) this year due to the strong air cargo demand during the pandemic period.
Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB) said KLIA recently welcomed Central Airlines, its 18th cargo airline overall, that would operate three times weekly using the Boeing 737F aircraft.
The other two cargo airlines that started operating at KLIA in 2021 are Kargo Xpress and GetJet Airlines.
Central Airlines, also known as ZhongzhouAirlines is a Chinese cargo airline based in Zhengzhou Xinzheng International Airport.
In a statement today, MAHB chief executive officer Datuk Mohd Shukrie Mohd Salleh said attracting new airline partners and supporting their growth would further strengthen Malaysia’s position as a regional cargo hub, specifically as an e-commerce regional distribution centre.
“For the first half of the financial year 2021, we recorded about 468,400 tonnes for total cargo operations in Malaysia, an increase of 22 per cent from the same period last year,” he said.
Mohd Shukrie said an encouraging cargo growth was seen in other airports especially in East Malaysia.
“The top five airports which registered the highest growth were Tawau, Sibu, Limbang, Kota Kinabalu and Kuching. The growth ranging from over 70 per cent to 700 per cent at these airports was mainly driven by higher volume of e-commerce transactions,” he added.
Meanwhile, for June 2021, the group’s entire network of airports recorded a 26 per cent month-on-month increase in total cargo tonnage to about 78,200 tonnes, with airports in Malaysia and Istanbul Sabiha Gocken International Airport, Turkey, registering a jump of 26 per cent (74,600 tonnes) and 47 per cent (3,600 tonnes), respectively.
