MASkargo Soars Higher With Arrival Of New Freighter
Issued on 23 March 2006

SEPANG (Malaysia), 23 March 2006 - MASkargo's newest addition to its aircraft fleet, the B747-400 freighter, landed safely at the KL International Airport (KLIA) at 12.05pm today.

The flight, MH6075, the first of two new 747-400F departed from Boeing's Paine Field facility in Seattle at midnight on Tuesday, enroute to Taipei. The aircraft which departed from Seattle on 21 March 2006 was flown by Senior General Manager Flight Operations Dato' Captain Nawawi Awang.

A welcome ceremony was held in KLIA today soon after the aircraft landed at its home base.

The function was officiated by Minister of Transport Malaysia, YB Dato' Seri Chan Kong Choy and witnessed by Malaysia Airlines Managing Director Idris Jala, Chairman of MASkargo, Dato' N. Sadasivan and Senior General Manager (Cargo) Dato' JJ Ong.

Over the span of five years, the company intends to replace its freighter fleet of six 747-200Fs with the more efficient 747-400Fs. The second aircraft will be arriving at the end of May.

"The new freighter is an integral part of MASkargo's strategy in improving performance and in the long run, assisting Malaysia Airlines in turning around the company."

"We have been tasked to achieve a RM107 million profit target this year, and we need the support in terms of the right aircraft and equipment to do this," said Senior General Manager (Cargo) Dato' JJ Ong.

With the delivery of the new B747-400F freighter, MASkargo will now be able to operate triangular flights such as Kuala Lumpur-Dubai-Amsterdam and related sectors, which will result in savings in landing costs.

The B747-400 Freighter is the largest commercial cargo transport in service, with 110 planes in service worldwide. It can carry 124 tons of cargo up to 4,450 nautical miles (,240 km).

With the lowest operating cost per ton-mile in the industry, the new-technology Boeing 747-400 Freighters are the all-cargo transport members of the 747-400 family. The airplane offers an even more unbeatable combination of payload, range and speed.

Malaysia Airlines Cargo Sdn Bhd (MASkargo), the air cargo division of Malaysia Airlines, operates six leased B747-200 freighters, and its freighter services currently cover the world's major cargo hubs. It also offers belly space capacity on Malaysia Airlines passenger fleet serving almost 100 destinations worldwide.

At KLIA, its home base is the Advanced Cargo Centre, a 108-acre complex designed specially for MASkargo's sophisticated state-of-the-art cargo handling facilities and recognized as major regional cargo hub.