Southeast Asia's old air hubs are revving back to life
Since last year, Indonesian airline TransNusa has routinely shuttled passengers between Jakarta and Kuala Lumpur two to three times each day. But when its Airbus A320 plane touched down outside Malaysia's commercial capital on Aug. 1, it was hailed with arcing water cannons and a congratulatory banner. Flight attendants offered passengers commemorative pins. The flight was exceptional because it was landing at Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport -- also known as Subang Airport and Subang SkyPark -- rather than Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) as all TransNusa's flights to the city had previously done. As the commemorative pins noted, no jet-operated international airline flight had arrived at Subang in 26 years. But now many more are coming. The same day TransNusa's plane landed, a Boeing 737 belonging to Batik Air, the full-service arm of Indonesia's low-cost Lion Air Group, set off for Penang. Batik and other airlines will launch more new Subang routes over the coming weeks. "Subang SkyPark offers a unique advantage with its proximity to Kuala Lumpur," said Manoharan Periasamy, director general of Tourism Malaysia. "This makes travel incredibly convenient and attractive for both local and international tourists," he said. "We are excited about the potential increase in the tourism industry with this new connectivity." The revival of commercial jet flights at Subang and newly launched upgrades to its facilities mirror developments at Bangkok's Don Mueang International Airport and Jakarta's Halim Perdanakusuma International Airport. They too in recent years have clawed back some of the activity ceded when their cities opened new flagship airports that initially put them largely out of business. In each place, national authorities are seeking a balance between focusing activity on the country's main gateway to maximize networking benefits with sustaining an alternative airport to relieve capacity strains, handle VIP and corporate jet flights, and support other policy priorities.<br/>
https://portal.staralliance.com/cms/news/hot-topics/2024-08-21/general/southeast-asias-old-air-hubs-are-revving-back-to-life
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Southeast Asia's old air hubs are revving back to life
Since last year, Indonesian airline TransNusa has routinely shuttled passengers between Jakarta and Kuala Lumpur two to three times each day. But when its Airbus A320 plane touched down outside Malaysia's commercial capital on Aug. 1, it was hailed with arcing water cannons and a congratulatory banner. Flight attendants offered passengers commemorative pins. The flight was exceptional because it was landing at Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport -- also known as Subang Airport and Subang SkyPark -- rather than Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) as all TransNusa's flights to the city had previously done. As the commemorative pins noted, no jet-operated international airline flight had arrived at Subang in 26 years. But now many more are coming. The same day TransNusa's plane landed, a Boeing 737 belonging to Batik Air, the full-service arm of Indonesia's low-cost Lion Air Group, set off for Penang. Batik and other airlines will launch more new Subang routes over the coming weeks. "Subang SkyPark offers a unique advantage with its proximity to Kuala Lumpur," said Manoharan Periasamy, director general of Tourism Malaysia. "This makes travel incredibly convenient and attractive for both local and international tourists," he said. "We are excited about the potential increase in the tourism industry with this new connectivity." The revival of commercial jet flights at Subang and newly launched upgrades to its facilities mirror developments at Bangkok's Don Mueang International Airport and Jakarta's Halim Perdanakusuma International Airport. They too in recent years have clawed back some of the activity ceded when their cities opened new flagship airports that initially put them largely out of business. In each place, national authorities are seeking a balance between focusing activity on the country's main gateway to maximize networking benefits with sustaining an alternative airport to relieve capacity strains, handle VIP and corporate jet flights, and support other policy priorities.<br/>
