Malaysia says aviation firms may need three years to recover from Covid-19

Airlines in Malaysia could take three years to bounce back from the coronavirus pandemic, depending on the outbreak in the country and abroad, the transport ministry said. Transport Minister Datuk Seri Wee Ka Siong said earlier this week that in the Malaysian Aviation Commission's (MAVCOM) revised projections for passenger traffic this year, it expects passenger numbers to shrink as much as 75.6% to 26.6m, compared with the 109.2m passengers recorded in 2019. "In this regard, airlines are expected to need a period of three years to fully recover the situation from the impact of the COVID-19 epidemic, subject to the of the outbreak in the country and abroad," Wee said in a written parliamentary reply dated Monday. MAVCOM first revised lower its 2020 passenger traffic forecast in June, expecting a contraction of as much as 50.3%, to 54.3m passengers. Wee said passenger demand had fallen from 280,321 a day in January to 59,378 a day in September, adding that the ministry continued to work with the Tourism Ministry and airlines to increase the public's confidence to use aviation services to revive the domestic tourism sector.<br/>