KUCHING – Sarawak Premier Tan Sri Abang Johari Openg hopes that the acquisition of the MASwings’s share could be realised within three months so the state-owned airline can take off by next year.
He said the timeframe was given due to due diligence and detailed discussions on the takeover between the state and federal transport ministries.
“I give them about three months. If possible, we want to start flying by next year,” he told reporters after the memorandum of understanding (MoU) signing between Hornbill Skyways Sdn Bhd and Malaysia Aviation Group (MAG) here today.
When asked whether Sarawak is considering taking over the airports in the state or building its own hub, Abang Johari said at the moment Sarawak is just focusing on the acquisition of MASwing.
However, he did not dismiss the possibility of the state running the airports in the future, adding that any decisions would be made one step at a time.
“Let’s not move too fast. We take this step by step. My friends and I in the cabinet will make decisions in stages, because we want to look at our capacity too.
“Like TV Sarawak (TVS), it’s only three years old. It is not easy to set up TVS. We already have TVS, and now we are working on our state airline.
“But just wait for the next move. Just wait okay,” he said.
Abang Johari also revealed that Sarawak wants to eventually acquire controlling shares over MASwing to enable the operation to fly throughout the region.
“We want a majority block. I think MAG might want some shares,” he added. – October 27, 2023