MAHB eyes portfolio expansion to Asia and Europe

Malaysia Airports Holdings (MAHB) has said it is looking to expand its airport management portfolio in Asia and Europe. Plans to establish an international subsidiary are also in the pipeline, MAHB managing director Datuk Badlisham Ghazali said, adding that it would likely be finalised by the end of the year, NST reported.The Malaysia-based subsidiary will be called Malaysia Airports International and would be used to house MAHB’s international assets, also overseeing its Turkish operations and other future airports it managements overseas.Currently, outside of Malaysia, MAHB it manages the Istanbul Sabiha Gokcen International Airport in Turkey and the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport in India, its website read.According to an NST report, Badlisham Ghazali explained that the organisation is currently identifying potential foreign airports to invest into. This is through its privatisation model. Badlisham Ghazali added that MAHB’s primary target is Asia, and added there is currently many opportunities as neighbouring Asean countries step up to upgrade and look at different models for privatisation.As such, MAHB wants to be close to such opportunities. Other Asia markets the company is keen to venture into includes the Indian sub-continent and North Asia, he added. Badlisham Ghazali said that asset acquisition may not solely focus on buying airport stakes, but may also extend to operational airports facility management and services.A+M has reached out to MAHB for comment.In February, it was reported that airports managed by MAHB nationwide saw a traveller spend of approximately RM1 billion on fashion, food and apparel in 2017. Some retail outlets reported a sales increase of 24% in 2017 compared to the previous year, according to The Star, which quoted  Badlisham Ghazali.Meanwhile, passenger traffic at 39 airports operated by MAHB last year amounted to 96.54 million, compared to 88.98 million in 2016. International passengers formed the bulk (49.4 million), while domestic passengers totaled 47.14 million.Read also: MAHB to streamline transit operations between KLIA and klia2 next year MAHB picks GOVT KL for brand film following four-way pitch MAHB banks on e-commerce to boost air travel Malaysia Airports to promote KLIA via KUL Marathon run