MAHB PROPOSES NEW INITIATIVES TO FACILITATE MORE SME PARTICIPATION AT AIRPORTS

KUALA LUMPUR, April 30 -- Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB) has proposed to open new avenues to facilitate the participation of Bumiputera small and medium enterprises (SMEs) such as joint-ventures, master concessions and franchise models.

Group chief executive officer Datuk Mohd Shukrie Mohd Salleh said the Bumiputera Empowerment Agenda is an initiative that the airport operator is nurturing to encourage participation and enhance the visibility of local Bumiputera SMEs at airports under its management.

“These new avenues require less capital investment and offer a more sustainable business cost structure and a high degree of visibility at the nation’s gateways.

“The proposal has been well received, and we look forward to a greater level of participation from these SMEs in the future,” he said in a joint message with chairman Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abd Kadir in MAHB’s Sustainability Report 2020 released today.

Meanwhile, in MAHB Annual Report 2020, Mohd Shukrie said the group faced its biggest ever challenge last year as it had to manage its business amid the COVID-19 pandemic which had impacted the aviation industry globally.

He said the group took immediate and proactive steps to put into place crisis management measures to ensure its survival and sustainability with the aim of recovering from the crisis and preparing for post-pandemic growth and transformation.

Building on the group’s near-term plan of survival and recovery, MAHB reformulated its five-year Strategy and Transformation Plan, known as Future F.I.T., to focus also on building capacity and capabilities today to capture opportunities post-pandemic.

In the first phase of Future F.I.T., MAHB’s focus is to survive and recover from the crisis in the short term till 2022.

Beyond that, in the second phase from 2023 till 2025, the focus would be on positioning itself for future business growth and sustainability, he added.

-- BERNAMA