KUCHING: State Transport Minister Datuk Seri Lee Kim Shin has held a meeting with Khazanah Nasional Berhad to discuss the acquisition of MASwings by the Sarawak government.
In a statement, Lee said the primary objective of the meeting was to brief Khazanah on the proposed takeover of MASwings Sdn Bhd as a follow up to the meeting with Federal Transport Minister Anthony Loke on June 30 in Putrajaya.
He added that the meeting also discussed the existing air connectivity issues affecting Sarawak, especially direct international flights.
“Sarawak presently has only three direct international routes, namely Singapore, Bandar Seri Begawan and Jakarta.
“There is therefore a need for concerted effort to establish more direct international routes to promote tourism, trade and investment.
“In this connection, our state government has therefore decided to set up its own airlines through the acquisition of MASwings,” he said.
Furthermore, he added that a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between Malaysia Aviation Group (MAG), the parent company of MASwings, and the Sarawak government was also proposed during the meeting.
“The main objective of the MoU is to kickstart in-depth discussions, establish clear parameters, define the scopes, set timelines, and facilitate a smooth process for the acquisition.
“With the meeting held, I expressed my utmost appreciation and thanks to Khazanah Nasional Berhad for its support to the state government’s aspirations to establish its own airline,” he said.
Lee was accompanied by State Attorney General Datuk Seri Talat Mahmood; State Financial Secretary Datuk Seri Dr Wan Lizozman; Deputy State Secretary (Economic Planning and Development) Datuk Dr Muhammad Abdullah Zaidel; Sarawak Economic Development Corporation chairman Tan Sri Datuk Amar Abdul Aziz Husain; Transport Ministry Permanent Secretary Datuk Alice Jawan Empaling; Senior State Counsel Datuk John Wayne Chamberlin; Director for Economic Planning Unit Sarawak Lester Matthew and senior officers.
Khazanah was repedented by its Managing Director Datuk Amirul Feisal Wan Zahir; Executive Director Datuk Hisham Hamdan; Chief Financial Officer Faridah Bakar Ali; Head of Transport and Tourism Wong Shu Hsien; and Director, Investments (Airlines) Adeline Khoo.
