MASkargo Strengthens Foothold in India For 2010
Issued on 02 February 2010

MUMBAI (India), 2 February 2010 – Malaysia Airlines Cargo Sdn Bhd (MASkargo) is looking at India as an important emerging market that has high potential growth. With a GDP growth of approximately 7% for the first half of 2009, MASkargo is looking at strengthening its foothold in India by tapping further into its export market.

According to the International Air Transport Association (IATA), freight demand is 20% better than the low point in December 2008, but still 10% below the peak levels seen in early 2008. The industry began to show signs of improvement during the third quarter of 2009. Demand continued to show significant improvement in the fourth quarter of last year, driven by the emerging economies in Asia Pacific region. Asia Pacific leads the pack in terms of FTK growth. According to IATA figures, Asia Pacific registered a 7% growth in Dec 09 as compared to the corresponding period last year.

Regional Manager India, Africa and Americas (MASkargo), Amiroel Shazrie Yusoff said, "Although business environment still remains challenging, we in the industry are expecting 2010 to be less volatile with moderate growth forecasted. India is an important market for MASkargo. We expect demand to grow between 6% to 7% this year with the export of garments, pharmaceuticals, electronic goods and perishables (vegetables and flowers) out of our many stations.

"Aside from that, we also leverage on our strength to cater for customers who require special charters. On an average, we handle ad-hoc shipment once every week to prove our capability to be agile and flexible to our customers' needs. A shipment of over 150 buffalos out of New Delhi recently is a testament of MASkargo's capability of handling the most delicate and complexed form of cargo including live stock to remain competitive among its peers.

"We are currently looking at the possibility of increasing frequencies to India to meet the growing demands for cargo as well as tap into the rapidly developing Indian market. As competition is getting very stiff, we have had to make some diversifications to remain competitive and be at par with the big players," said Amiroel.

MASkargo is participating in the 3rd International Biennial Networking Conference & Exhibition, Air Cargo India 2010 which runs from 2 to 4 February 2010 at the Mumbai Exhibition Centre.

The 3-day event will give MASkargo the opportunity to share information and best practices to facilitate trade, reduce cost of doing business and focus on its prominence in the Asia Pacific region which will contribute positively towards the Malaysian economy. It will serve as a great networking opportunity as the cargo carrier is able to market its products and services effectively and create strategies and synergies with potential business partners.


About MASkargo

MASkargo flies daily to Mumbai, Chennai, New Delhi, Hyderabad and Bangalore using B777, B737 and A330.

MASkargo offers belly space capacity on Malaysia Airlines passenger fleet and freighters to over 100 destinations covering the world's major cargo hubs using four B747-200F and two B747-400F.

At KLIA, its home base is the Advanced Cargo Centre, a 108-acre complex designed especially for MASkargo's sophisticated state-of-the-art cargo handling facilities with the ability to handle up to one million tonnes of cargo annually. These features have given MASkargo the recognition as a major regional cargo hub within a free commercial zone.


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