MASkargo launches express freighter links from KL

MASkargo has launched five-times-a-week Airbus A330-200F express freighter services from its home hub at Kuala Lumpur to Kota Kinabalu and Kuching, with growing e-commerce and courier demand between East and West Malaysia a key element in the decision.
"As the Asian cross-border e-commerce is booming, MASkargo is poised to tap into this market given the world-class warehouse facilities we operate and our vast belly and freighter network," said Ahmad Luqman Mohd Azmi, MASkargo chief executive. He described the launch of the new service as “timely”, given the carrier’s intention to position Kuala Lumpur International Airport as an e-commerce hub in the region.
The airline also highlighted the world’s first Digital Free Trade Zone, being developed in Kuala Lumpur. Speaking at the launch in March, Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Raza observed: “Malaysians have embraced the internet economy and e-commerce in a big way. We are now leading the e-commerce market in the region generating revenue of $2.3bn in 2015.
"With the launch of the world’s first Digital Free Trade Zone, Malaysia will serve as a regional e-fulfilment centre, and also become the regional hub for SMEs, marketplaces and monobrands.”
MASkargo’s new express services are scheduled to depart early in the morning, allowing shipments to arrive and be processed before noon. The inaugural flights to Kota Kinabalu and Kuching each carried 30 tonnes of express cargo.