KUCHING, Dec 1: MASwings marked a milestone today after the launch of its first passenger flight using Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF).
The flight which utilised a ATR72-500 aircraft took off from Kota Kinabalu to Labuan before departing onwards to Miri.
Flight MH3043 departed from Kota Kinabalu to Labuan at 10am with 40 passengers and was scheduled to depart for Miri via MH3223 at 11am with 44 passengers onboard.
All passengers of the flights received special souvenirs comprising upcycled goods handmade by a Malaysia Aviation Group (MAG) team.
“This is a huge breakthrough as today’s first SAF on passenger flights operated by MASwings marks a significant milestone in creating a more sustainable operating environment. This is also part of the Group’s target to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050.
“Without these crucial first steps, we will never be able to progress forward; hence I applaud our team’s efforts today as it demonstrates our commitment to a ‘Sustainable Tomorrow’ by ensuring that its services and operations in Sabah, Sarawak and Labuan meets the aspiration and expectation of the government and the general public,” MASwings chief operating officer, Captain Nasaruddin A Bakar said in a statement.
The event was also attended by MAG chief sustainability officer, Philip See and Petronas Dagangan team led by its general manager for commercial business division Ramzulhakim Ramli.
In April 2021, MAG launched its Sustainability Blueprint.
The initiative by MASwings adds to a series of SAF flights that was launched by MAG starting with the country’s first cargo and passenger flights using SAF.
This includes SAF firsts for registered commercial aircraft (Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur) and for the first passenger flight from Kuala Lumpur to Singapore operated by Malaysia Airlines.
Firefly Airlines, a sister company under MAG is also using SAF for its domestic passenger flight from Subang to Penang, and international flight from Seletar, Singapore to Subang.
Most recently, Firefly operated two flights utilising ATR72-500 turboprops to Penang and Seletar. — DayakDaily
