Why does FAX want Firefly to take over?

[DoMePlease]

FAX has made a dramatic offer to the Government – that the newly launched Firefly airline takes over the operations of all rural air services.

FAX director Datuk Tony Fernandes said he made the proposal to Transport Minister Datuk Seri Chan Kong Choy yesterday as “it was the logical thing to do.”

“We were thrilled with the launch of Firefly and it is now time that the country has a national turbo-prop airline that operates all the Fokker and Twin Otter aircraft.

“I was just waiting for the right time to make the proposal,” he said.

Fernandes said FAX would soon be launching the long-haul AirAsia X operations and “it would be too distracting for us to also operate turbo-propeller aircraft as well.”

FAX, a company that shares common directors with AirAsia, took over the rural air services operations from Malaysia Airlines (MAS) under the national air route rationalisation exercise last year.

Firefly, a subsidiary of MAS, was launched two weeks ago and operates turbo-prop aircraft to various domestic and regional destinations from its base in Penang.

It has started flights to Kuala Terengganu and Kota Baru.

Firefly is also set to fly to Koh Samui in southern Thailand next month.

Fernandes stressed that with the imminent launch of AirAsia X operations, it was imperative that FAX be allowed to concentrate on its long-haul flights.

FAX is operating the rural air services routes with eight turbo-propeller aircraft belonging to Penerbangan Nasional Berhad (PNB).

“There will be no asset transferring problem and PNB can also make the same arrangement for Firefly. As for staff, they can either be absorbed into FAX, AirAsia or even be taken on by Firefly,” said Fernandes.

On when he expected a reply from the Government, he said he hoped that a decision could be made as soon as possible.

[The Rage]

1.Coz they have lied to the people of Sabah and Sarawak and are unable to fulfill what they promised.

2. Or maybe just not making money.

3. They have got the AOC and FAX dosent matter anymore.

And i smell another Goverment bail out, only this time for FAX by getting MAS to take over! := :D

[GTR-34]

Most likely because FAX boasted initially that they can operate those routes with profit and found out the hard way that its not easy to mix social obligations to the Eastern states with business ;)

I guess they are just asking the Transport Minister to bail them out of the pile of Sh$t they got themselves into.....

[yzerfontein]

There's no way an airline would give up routes if they were profitable, unless management were stupid. Neither scenario is appetising. I wonder whether Firefly Airlines (http://www.southafrica.to/transport/Airlines/International-airlines/Firefly-airlines/Firefly-Airlines.php5)are going to have their financial seperately disclosed to MAS...will be interesting to see whether they are turning a profit, or whether MAS was just trying to find some use for those spare Fokkers they had (apparently they were trying to sell one of them as recently as January).

[CAPTAIN WOOBLAH]

Hey Hey Hey, I said it from day one. Tony is just full of it boasting that he could take over the F50's and DHC6's and turn a profit without subsidies:eek: . Well he couldn't WITH THE SUBSIDIES:D . FAX is loosing money hand over fist:D . He also said MAS was useless := and that he the great one :suspect: was much more efficient and would provide a better service at a lower cost. Again smells like a sewer.:cool:

What he has done in reality is RIPP OFF the people of Sabah and Sarawak. :ugh: The very people that supported him in AirAsia when he first started out and is still the core of his cash flow :ugh: . PEOPLE OF EAST MALAYSIA BAN ANYTHING TO DO WITH TONY NOW :D . Fly MAS let him feel it where it hurts. HIS POCKET. He also ripped of the team that set him up in airasia. If those people were around fax would have been a resounding success. SEE TONY the CON man is just that...............!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :D

Well he has ripped off the people of East Malaysia to get a separate AOC to operate airasia XXX. Yep, and the government of Malaysia is so stupid that they have allowed this to happen. THEY SHOULD PULL THE FAX AOC IF MAS / FIREFLY TAKES OVER.:D

The next step because he has lied and hidden the airasia debt all over the place. pulled the cash to tune money and hotels and a heap of dodgie areas, is to sell his stake in airasia with his mates stake CUM on U din to a foreign airline which will get all the domestic routes airasia currently flies and then the stupid guys that allowed him to destroy the domestic market will act like the fools they are and bury their heads in the sand and start pointing fingers in omni directional stupidity. Shame shame on you is all I have to say.

100 airbuses my A$$. MAS to the rescue to the people of Sabah, Sarawak. IT WOULD NEVER HAVE HAPPENED IN WEST MALAYSIA. Tony would have been crucified and guess what he should be now over this FAX fiasco.