Systematic Aviation Services (Kuala Lumpur Subang) is eyeing seaplane flights to and from the Malaysian island of Pulau Perhentian as soon as mid-2023 after signing a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Oriental Sky Sdn Bhd (OSSB), a wholly owned subsidiary of Selangor-based real estate conglomerate ikhasas Group Sdn Bhd. The deal will make SAS the first seaplane operator in Malaysia.
Malaysian media report that ikhasas has acquired a Cessna (single turboprop) 208B Grand Caravan amphibian on behalf of OSSB which has tasked SAS with providing flight services to Pulau Perhentian where ikhasas is building a resort complex. Pulau Perhentian is located just off the city of Kelantan roughly midway along Malaysia's east coast. SAS has also agreed to build the infrastructure to facilitate the flights on the island, including marking out water runways.
"Instead of a 45-minute boat ride, it might only take you 10 to 15 minutes from the mainland to get to the island," SAS CEO Ida Adora Asha'ari Ismail told media at the 2022 Selangor Aviation Show. "The first (service) is expected to start in the middle of next year and hopefully next year there will be an addition for each year after that." SAS was not immediately available for further comment to ch-aviation.
According to SAS's air operator's certificate issued by the Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia (CAAM), the airline is authorised to operate commercial air transport services per the country's Civil Aviation Regulations (2016). The Malaysian Aviation Commission (MAVCOM) issued air service permit clarifies that those services must be non-scheduled rather than scheduled flights.
In addition to the incoming 208B seaplane, SAS operates a Cessna 206 and a fleet of helicopters, including 407GX and 505 Bell Helicopters, a Robinson R66, and a Eurocopter AS350.
