We see it as an opportunity. Subang Airport is a downtown city airport that is closer to the city-centre, and thus more convenient to get to, than Kuala Lumpur International Airport. The commercial turboprop services at Subang Airport have proven to be very popular with the flying public, especially business travellers.
They like the convenience and time saved. From the front door of the terminal to your gate, it only takes about five minutes. Sangley Airport is located within the metropolitan area of Manila, so has huge potential as a downtown city airport. The authorities have been working to upgrade Sangley Airport to get it ready for commercial passenger services.
Singapore’s Seletar Airport is also a very convenient airport, especially for people living in the north and western parts of Singapore. Singapore reportedly spent $80 million Singapore dollars on the new passenger terminal at Seletar.
It is an outstanding terminal that provides air- line passengers with a very convenient and comfortable experience. The terminal feels more like a VIP terminal, which is not surprising considering business jet operators also share the building.
What has been some interesting new developments for ATR in the region
ATR has made inroads into northeast Asia. We have three ATR operators now in Japan, namely Amakusa Airlines, Japan Air Commuter and Hokkaido Air Service. The latter two are part owned by Japan Airlines. Hokkaido Air Service took delivery of its first ATR in December.
Also, in December, Korean carrier HiAir launched operations using pre-owned ATR 72-500s to fly domestically. In terms of Southeast Asia, Cebu Pacific Air recently added two ATR 72-500 freighters that it had converted from passenger aircraft. The ATR 72-500 is the airline’s first dedicated freighters.
