Aviation industry to encourage tourism

NST Online » Local News

2009/05/09

KUALA TERENGGANU: The tourism industry here is waiting for the aviation industry to take off in hopes it will boost tourism prospects in years to come, Menteri Besar Datuk Ahamd Said said Wednesday.

Ahmad said the development of the aviation industry here would play a vital role in supporting the state which is poised to become the tourism gateway in the east coast following the signing of an MoU between the state government, Malaysia Airlines (MAS) and Asia Pacific Flight Training (APFT), a flight school based in Kota Baru.

"We need pilots, technicians and engineers to cater to what we have planned for the state and also for the nation's tourism industry in general.

"For example we need pilots, including helicopter pilots, to fly tourists to islands as well as manpower to service the international direct flights coming into Terengganu.

"The aviation industry also plays an important role in the creation of skilled manpower. Based on a report by the International Air Transport Association, as many as 32 million people are involved in this industry," he said after witnessing the MoU signing at Wisma Darul Iman.
Ahmad also said under the agreement, it would be the first time that state government-financed students were attending the flight school.

The state government was represented by state Education, Higher Education, Science and Technology and Human Resources committee chairman Ahmad Razif Abdul Rahman, while MAS and APFT was represented by its executive director Tengku Azmil Zahruddin and chairman Datuk Faruk Othman respectively.

Under the agreement, APFT will train the cadet pilots sponsored by the state government via the Yayasan Terengganu. MAS will then take over to enable the pilots to obtain their licences to fly the B737 fleet. Successful candidates will be considered for a job after completing the training.

The training of 20 pilots, 10 aircraft engineers and 20 junior technicians is scheduled to begin in July this year. Pilots will be trained for 18 months, while the engineers and technicians will undergo five and two years of training respectively.

Ahmad said the response had been encouraging with 150 students signing up.