PETALING JAYA: Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB) has announced that about 10,000 staff at airports across Malaysia are ready to accommodate the high frequency of flights following the festive season and the expected passenger surge.

       Managing director Datuk Iskandar Mizal Mahmood said MAHB was one of the companies that did not lay off employees and they were ready to welcome passengers.

       “(We have) enough staff, we are one of the companies that did not carry out direct retrenchments. So we are very prepared, the staff are ready.

       “If you look at the KL International Airport (KLIA) on April 1 (re-opening of borders) recently, everything went smoothly.

       “It can be said that we manifested our availability and readiness on that day, in the days to come and in the months to come,” he told Bernama and Radio Televisyen Malaysia (RTM) after the #MYAirportCARES Ceria Aidilfitri shopping donation handover ceremony at Subang Airport yesterday.

       He said traffic slot management at the moment was still at 30% to 40% of the previous capacity.

       “We expect traffic to come back, the more traffic the better it is for us,” he said.

       Meanwhile, a total of 240 recipients from the KLIA and Subang communities received RM500 worth of shopping vouchers each from MAHB through the #MYAirportCARES Ceria Aidilfitri corporate social responsibility programme.

       The vouchers, in total worth RM120,000, are intended to help the recipients prepare for the upcoming Hari Raya Aidilfitri.

       “Our responsibility as the country’s leading airport operator does not just end with serving passengers and airport visitors.

       “We are aware that we also bear a huge social responsibility and this is one of the main focus areas of the company, which is to help contribute towards community well-being,” he said.

       Since its introduction in 2013, MAHB’s Ceria Aidilfitri programme has reached out to about 2,000 recipients.

       Meanwhile, Kenanga Research and CGS-CIMB Research said MAHB would be a key beneficiary of the anticipated strong recovery.

       The research houses said a potential rerating of the company was on the cards. This is on expectations of the operating agreement (OA) being signed and a potential recovery play on renewed optimism for air travel.

       Kenanga Research prefers MAHB for being the only airport operator in the country.

       CGS-CIMB Research said the improved terms of the new OA with the government could stimulate the industry.