| FAX to replace Fokker 50s New aircraft expected in 18 months as airline looks to fly to regional destinations KUCHING: Fly Asian Xpress (FAX) may obtain new aircraft in the next 18 months to replace its fleet of Fokker 50 aircraft and also to realise its desire of flying to regional destinations.  | | TALK OF NEW PLANES: Raja Azmi briefing the media. - Photo by Jeffery Mostapa. | Its chief executive officer, Raja Mohd Azmi Raja Razali, said that it had already held talks with two manufacturers, namely Canadian-based Bombardier and French-based ATR, which could possibly supply them with the desired aircraft. He pointed out that FAX was considering the 50-seater and 70-seater offered by these manufacturers, so it could potentially be eyeing the 50-seater ATR 42-500 or Bombardier’s Q300, and the 70-seater ATR 72-500 or Bombardier’s Q400. “Yes, we have had a few talks with the manufacturers,” he said, during a press conference at Crown Towers here, yesterday. “We are constantly looking at some (business) articles, and are evaluating new planes right now, but it has to be a propeller aircraft because from an economic standpoint, for short-haul (flights) like the 40-minute average flight time that we have, only the propeller aircraft makes sense. “We are looking at either the ATR or the Bombardier…and we are seriously evaluating them right now. But, obviously we need to get the agreement from the government to change the aircraft,” he said, adding that the possibility of buying jet-powered aircraft offered by manufacturers Embraer, Boeing and Airbus “doesn’t really make economic sense”. Raja Azmi also pointed out that although older aircraft generally did not create problems if maintained well, FAX was now faced with technical issues with its planes because of the terrain and areas that it operated in. “In the medium-term, it is inevitable that we have to get new aircraft, so we have been urging the government that this is something that we cannot ignore. “This is something that we are pursuing quite strongly with the government and we are certainly seriously looking at that,” he said, adding that the price list of the aircraft was between $20 million and $25 million each. He explained that FAX’s overall ambition was to not confined to routes within Sarawak and Sabah, but to fly to more commercially-viable routes, such as within the Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines - East Asia Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA) region. “There are certain roles we want to play…like the role of the commuter or regional airlines, within the interior and urban areas and (within) Borneo and southern Philippines. “Realistically, we can fly the BIMP-EAGA routes within 18 months,” he said, adding that it was possible that FAX could get its first new aircraft within that period, as well. When asked whether FAX was also looking for a replacement for its Twin Otter aircraft, Raja Azmi explained that there was ‘no viable alternative’ for that particular model at the moment. “Twin Otters are even older than the Fokker 50s but more reliable because they are good aircraft. “The manufacturers say they are going to build a new version soon, with new avionics and engines (and) if that comes along we will look at that. But for the time being there is no good substitutes to Twin Otters,” he said. Currently, FAX’s fleet consists of seven Fokker 50s and five Twin Otters, which it leases from Penerbangan Malaysia Bhd (PMB). Written By:
Alexius Barieng
The Borneo Post
7th February 2007 | 
