13/12/2025

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SATURDAY | DEC 13, 2025

Berjaya Air’s fleet gets US$56m ATR 72-600 boost

Ű BY HAYATUN RAZAK sunbiz@thesundaily.com

industry has marked another mile stone with Winning International Group completing the construction and delivery of nine vessels at a shipyard here. The S$23 million (RM73 million) project strengthens Sarawak’s position in the international ship building arena. The vessels com prising tugboats and harbour tugs will support the group’s offshore logistics and transshipment opera tions at Port of Guinea, West Africa. Based in Singapore, Winning Group is one of the world’s largest bauxite shipping operators and has maintained partnerships with Sibu shipyards since 2014. More than 40 tugboats have been delivered to the group from Sibu to date. Winning Group senior vice president Sun Zhijun said vessels built in Sibu are structurally reliable, easy to operate and main tain, and offer strong cost per formance. “Local shipyards are flexible in adjusting designs and specifi cations according to customer needs, and they provide strong value-added services. Construction timelines are well managed, and cost performance remains highly competitive,” he said in a statement Syed Ali said the first ATR 72-600 will arrive at the end of January and be showcased at the Singapore Airshow before entering service on Feb 14. The second aircraft is scheduled for delivery in October. The ATR 72-600 Business Class Highline is branded as the world’s first with a bespoke 26-seat cabin, featuring sculpted seating, generous legroom, a private-cabin atmosphere and a private jet-inspired inflight ambience. The configuration re duces the ATR’s usual 72 seats to 26. “This is very new, it is the first of its kind for ATR and the first in the world. That is why they want to take KUALA LUMPUR: Berjaya Group’s Berjaya Air Sdn Bhd has acquired two 26-seater ATR 72-600 aircraft with a combined cost of US$56 million (RM230 million), adding to its existing fleet of a 48-seater ATR 42 500 and a 68-seater ATR 72-500, with plans to introduce more aircraft depending on demand. Berjaya Land Bhd CEO Syed Ali Shahul Hameed said the investment is a shift away from its traditional role as a feeder airline for the group’s resort properties and a push into premium regional travel. “Our aviation segment has mostly served our hotel guests at The Taaras. Most of the time, our focus has been to bring customers to our destination. This is the first time we are diversifying into new routes. At this moment, the demand is there,” he told reporters at the launch of the airline’s new desti nation network and aircraft intro duction yesterday.

o Carrier to receive two 26-seater aircraft, introduce premium service routes to Thailand, Vietnam and Indonesia in network expansion

PETALING JAYA: Capital A Bhd and Standard Chartered Bank Malaysia Bhd have signed a letter of intent to jointly explore the development and testing of a ringgit-denominated stablecoin through the Digital Asset Innovation Hub (DAIH) under Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM). The initiative marks Capital A’s first major foray into regulated digital assets, leveraging Standard Char tered’s institutional-grade infra structure and financial expertise and Capital A’s extensive ecosystem of companies to focus on wholesale digital asset use cases. Under this initiative, Standard Chartered Malaysia would serve as the issuer of the ringgit stablecoin to conceptualise, test and deliver this innovation. Capital A and its eco system will jointly develop, test and potentially pilot real-world wholesale use cases. In a statement yesterday, the company said, the initiative supports the aspirations of Malaysia to pursue responsible innovation in digital assets by acknowledging the po tential of local-currency digital assets in strengthening domestic liquidity, enhancing operational efficiency and enabling next remain focused on delivering value and experiences that strengthen Berjaya’s position as a leading lifestyle and travel group.” Berjaya Air general manager Mohd Amri Mohd Akib said the unveiling of the ATR 72-600 Business Class Highline marks an important milestone for Berjaya Air as it continues to redefine what short haul travel can be. “This achievement reflects our commitment to innovation and to delivering elevated, thoughtfully designed experiences that embody our vision of Affordable Luxury for every traveller.” Complementing the aircraft reveal, the event showcased a presentation with Berjaya Hospitality Group, offering travel and stay privileges across its international portfolio of hotels and resorts. Guests were introduced to a range of limited-time promotional offerings, curated stay-and-fly packages, and special hospitality privileges.

yesterday. The newly delivered vessels were built to International Asso ciation of Classification Societies (IACS) standards under the super vision of Nippon Kaiji Kyokai and China Classification Society. All major equipment received classification approval, while tier II compliant main engines ensure full adherence to International Mari time Organization environmental requirements. The project underscores Sibu’s growing technical strength and competitiveness, with industry observers noting the shipyards’ increasing capacity to deliver high quality vessels that meet international specifications. Winning Group reaffirmed its commitment to continued colla boration with Sarawak’s shipyards to advance regional maritime de velopment. Sarawak’s shipbuilding capa bilities will also be showcased at Asia Pacific Maritime 2026 from March 25 to 27 in Singapore, supported by Sarawak’s Inter national Trade, Industry and Invest ment Ministry and the Sarawak Trade and Tourism Office Singa pore to enhance the state’s re gional visibility. – Bernama our aircraft to the air show. Nobody has done it, it’s the first. That’s what ATR also confirmed,” Syed Ali said. The airline also rolled out an expanded regional network, intro ducing routes to Koh Samui in Thailand, Phu Quoc in Vietnam, and Medan, Pekanbaru and Batam in Indonesia, alongside its several existing domestic connections. Syed Ali said each destination will operate three to four flights a week. On pricing, he said fares would be positioned as “luxury but very affordable”. “Our pricing is very competitive ... many sectors don’t even have a business-class option, so we benchmark our prices as luxury but affordable,” he said. Syed Ali said the innovation reflects its commitment to elevating the regional travel landscape with products that combine luxury, comfort, and accessibility. “As we expand our aviation and hospitality offerings across the region, we

Mohd Amri (second, left) and Syed Ali (second, right) at Berjaya Air’s network expansion and new aircraft introduction yesterday. – AMIRUL SYAFIQ/THESUN

Winning Group puts Sarawak on international shipbuilding map SIBU: Sarawak’s shipbuilding

Capital A, Standard Chartered Malaysia to explore ringgit-based stablecoin

Malaysia, Standard Chartered has always embraced innovation to support the country’s growth. Digital assets are a core part of the bank’s strategy and entering the stablecoin sandbox with like-minded partners like Capital A reflects that same commitment in shaping the archi tecture of tomorrow’s financial eco nomy and be at the forefront of creating greater financial inclusion. “This initiative allows us to extend our expertise into the fast-evolving digital asset ecosystem and support digital asset-linked products, pro viding institutional corporates with the assurance they require.” Both Capital A and Standard Chartered Malaysia will now under take further assessment of technical, regulatory and commercial consi derations under BNM’s DAIH. The proposed initiative aligns both Capital A’s mission to deliver smarter, faster and more connected ex periences across its ecosystem, strengthening the Group’s ability to serve customers and partners with greater efficiency and innovation and Standard Chartered’s strategy of digital assets being an important and permanent part of the future of financial services.

generation financial services. DAIH serves as a platform for BNM and the industry to co-create and test innovative solutions, with a view to inform responsible development of digital asset related innovations and the formulation of an appropriate regulatory environment to support such initiatives. Capital A CEO Tan Sri Tony Fernandes said, “The future of finance is digital, and this LoI marks a significant milestone in our transformation from an aviation centric group into a trusted, technology-led ecosystem. An MYR stablecoin developed with Standard Chartered’s expertise and tested under BNM’s DAIH can unlock real potential for our enterprise operations – spanning real-time settlements, better treasury management, and programmable flows that ultimately improve how we serve our customers. With Capital A being a multi-platform travel and digital group, we can bring practical, high-impact use cases at scale to Malaysians and the Asean region.” Meanwhile, Standard Chartered Malaysia CEO Mak Joon Nien commented, “With 150 years history as the oldest operating bank in