AIR TRAVELLERS WARNED OF TRAVELLING ALLOWANCE SCAM

KUALA LUMPUR: The Department of Civil Aviation (DCA) and Malaysia Airports has cautioned air travellers to be aware of imposters posing as agents of a non-existent "Ministry of Aviation Malaysia", as part of an international scam operation.

They operate by issuing a document called "Supreme Decree No.1121 - Regulation in Application of Law 1007 on Travelling by Air Policy", targeting air travellers leaving the country.

The scam claims that the establishment of this law is to introduce the Basic Travelling Allowance (BTA) that passengers leaving Malaysia are required to show at the airport. The BTA varies with the types of travel visas.

"We would like to inform air travellers that this document is not a legitimate document," said a statement issued by Malaysia Airports Wednesday.

It said that the travelling public should be aware that Malaysia does not impose any BTA to passengers leaving the country.

In past cases, individuals were instructed to either transfer some amount of money or deposit a cheque for the purpose of fees or taxes to the imposter's account or other entity designated by the imposter.

This scam has been reported to spread at the KL International Airport, Malaysia Airports said, urging anyone approached with such document to file a report immediately at the nearest police station. - Bernama

MASWINGS SERVES KAAMATAN AND GAWAI TREATS


 


KUCHING: MASwings will serve pineapple tarts as festive treats on board during the Kaamatan and Gawai festivals.

Pineapple tarts, well known as MASwings’ popular festive treats, will be served on all ATR72-500 flights within Sabah and Sarawak and the three recently launched BIMP-EAGA Region flights — Brunei, Pontianak and Tarakan — from May 30 to June 2.

Packaged in a specially designed box, passengers will enjoy these festive treats apart from the signature peanuts  being served on its flights.

“The initiative is aimed at sharing the festive experience of various religious and cultural celebrations which showcase the unique indigenous features of Malaysia’s multi ethnic population,” said MASwings’ head of in-flight services, Mohd Yunus Ismail.

“In the spirit of Malaysian  hospitality, we shall continue to strive and delight our customers throughout the year with many other in-flight offerings.”

WELCOME TO WBKS

Hello everyone,


We are pleased to inform you all that Mr Hasnor Rizwan will be joining DCA Sandakan as a new air traffic controller. We'd just like you to know that you, as part of our team, you are one of our most important and greatest asset. We could not accomplish what we do every day without the contribution from everyone. We are very pleased to welcome you to DCA Sandakan and look forward to working with you!

From : 
DCA Sandakan Team 

SOLAR PLANE LANDS IN MOROCCO ON HISTORIC FLIGHT




RABAT  - A Swiss pilot flew a solar plane across the Strait of Gibraltar from Spain into Moroccan airspace Tuesday on the world's first intercontinental flight in a plane powered by the sun. Bertrand Piccard, a 54-year-old psychiatrist and balloonist, took off before dawn from Madrid in the Solar Impulse, an aircraft as big as an Airbus A340 but as light as an average family car. 


After a graceful takeoff at 5:22 am (0322 GMT), Piccard guided the experimental plane southward from Madrid-Barajas airport.  "For one hour I had the full moon on my right and I had the sunrise on my left and that was absolutely gorgeous," Piccard told AFP. in an interview from the cockpit shortly after setting out."I had all the colours of the rainbow in the sky and also on the ground."After more than 10 hours' flight, Piccard had climbed to more than 5,500 metres (18,000 feet).


Flying at some 45 kilometres (28 miles) per hour in the freezing, high altitude, he needed an oxygen mask to breathe.An onboard video camera relayed images of the distant patchwork of fields and valleys stretched out below the aircraft, which has 12,000 solar cells in the wings turning four electrical motors.To qualify as an intercontinental flight, Piccard had only to cross the Strait of Gibraltar - 14 kilometres (nine miles) at its narrowest point - from Europe to Africa.

The crossing is one of the most challenging points of the voyage because of the need of oxygen and temperatures that can dip as low as minus 29 degrees Celsius (minus 20 degrees Fahrenheit).He entered Moroccan airspace without any hitches, Mustapha Bakkoury, the head of the North African country's solar energy agency, told AFP on the telephone."The plane has just entered Moroccan airspace after having crossed the Straits of Gibraltar in good weather conditions," he said."He will land in Rabat this evening at around 2200 GMT and preparations are on to welcome him" at the Rabat-Sale airport, he added.According to the Solar Impulse website which is tracking the flight live, the plane passed the Moroccan border at 1445 GMT.The aircraft is not using a drop of fuel.Each of the motors on the carbon-fibre craft charges 400-kilogramme (880-pound) lithium polymer batteries during the day, allowing the aircraft to carry on flying after dark.In the bright Spanish sun, the batteries had been recharged to full capacity by the afternoon."The question is not to use solar power for normal airplanes," Piccard explained."The question is more to demonstrate that we can achieve incredible goals, almost impossible goals, with new technologies, without fuel, just with solar energy, and raise awareness that if we can do it in the air, of course everybody can do it on the ground."Organisers say the voyage has been timed to coincide with the launch of construction of the largest-ever solar thermal plant in Morocco's southern Ouarzazate region.


Piccard, who made the world's first non-stop round-the-world balloon flight in 1999 together with Briton Brian Jones, took over the plane's controls from project co-founder Andre Borschberg.Borschberg, a 59-year-old Swiss executive and pilot, flew a first leg from Payerne in Switzerland, landing in Madrid on May 25.The voyage, 2,500 kilometres (1,550 miles) overall, is also intended as a rehearsal for Solar Impulse's round-the-world flight planned for 2014.The aircraft made history in July 2010 as the first manned plane to fly around the clock on the sun's energy.It holds the record for the longest flight by a manned solar-powered aeroplane after staying aloft for 26 hours, 10 minutes and 19 seconds above Switzerland, also setting a record for altitude by flying at 9,235 metres (30,298 feet).

MALAYSIA AIRLINES JOINS AIRBUS A380 CLUB

Hello again,

Malaysia Airlines has taken delivery of its first A380 aircraft at Airbus headquarters in Toulouse, becoming the eighth carrier of the world’s largest and most eco-efficient airliner.

And yes, it is technologically GREEN.

This will be MAS flagship aircraft offering new levels of comfort, luxury and convenience for long-haul travel. It will take to the skies for commercial flights on July 1 on the much lucrative KL-London-KL route with daily frequency.

Attached is the videos taken from one of AirAsia crew in KLIA recently. See ya ~