SKS Airways (KI, Johor Bahru) is aiming to launch operations with an initial fleet of four DHC-6-300s as soon as it gains its Air Operator's Certificate (AOC), which is just weeks away, spokesman Nidzam Norwani told Smart Aviation Asia-Pacific.
Although the startup, a subsidiary of property developer SKS Group, is based at Johor Bahru at the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, neighbouring Singapore, it will most likely fly from Kuala Lumpur Subang and Singapore Seletar.
The strategy is to connect them to several underserved Malaysian tourist destinations, Nidzam said, with Kota Bharu, Ipoh, Langkawi, Pangkor, Pulau Redang, Taman Negara, and Tioman listed on the airline’s website as potential destinations.
With the exception of Langkawi, these destinations currently have few or no scheduled air services. Of those with none at all, Taman Negara is a national park with a small airstrip, Pangkor is an island off the Malay Peninsula western coast, and Tioman and Redang are remote islands off the eastern coast.
“When we get our AOC, we will start with four secondhand Twin Otters, with the possibility of getting more. The 19-seat size is good for new routes and can easily access smaller airports which are difficult to get to,” Nidzam said.
The government for the state of Pahang has received an application from SKS Airways to begin scheduled flights in September to Tioman and Taman Negara from Singapore, Subang, and Kuala Lumpur International, Pahang's tourism minister Mohd Sharkar Shamsuddin told the Malay newspaper Sinar Harian on July 5.
