Malaysia’s SKS Airways completes certification

Malaysian startup SKS Airways (KI, Johor Bahru) is ready for take-off after having secured an Air Service Licence (ASL) from the Malaysian Aviation Commission (MAVCOM) on January 1, 2022, the company announced.

“With the recent obtainment of ASL, we are now officially in business,” announced SKS Airways Director Dato’ Rohman Ahmad. The company already received an Air Operator’s Certificate (AOC) on October 1, 2021. The ASL entitles the airline to ferry passengers, cargo, and mail on regular schedules on domestic routes. An ASL is only issued to holders of a valid AOC.

The airline intends to use “up to four DHC-6 Twin-Otters”. It currently employs only two DHC-6-300s: the 43-year-old 9M-KIA (msn 593) and the 52-year-old 9M-KIB (msn 244).

According to the company website and the ch-aviation schedules module, the first flight is scheduled for January 26 between Kuala Lumpur Subang and Pangkor, an island off the west coast of the Malaysian peninsula. A second service is scheduled for January 31 from Kuala Lumpur Subang to Pulau Redang, an island off the northeast coast.

From March 7, SKS will introduce more routes from Kuala Lumpur Subang to Tioman (an island off the southeast coast); and between Johor Bahru in the south (near Singapore) to Tioman.

SKS Airways, in a statement, said it would focus on domestic, short-range, leisure, and commuter flights to unserved and underserved destinations. “Our operation is mainly focused on popular island-based resorts, coastal resorts with connections to major cities within Peninsular Malaysia; serving the needs of popular island resort owners and tour agencies that provide holiday packages to domestic and international tourists.”

The company was incorporated on November 13, 2017, with a 100% Malaysian shareholding. It is part of the SKS Group founded in 1983 – a multi-disciplinary organisation involved in property development, investment holding, hospitality, and credit finance in Malaysia and Australia.