Latest news with #privatisation
Free Malaysia Today
a day ago
- Business
- Free Malaysia Today
MAHB reaps efficiency gains at airports post-privatisation
MAHB manages 39 airports in Malaysia, and the Sabiha Gokcen International Airport in Turkey. PETALING JAYA : The privatisation of Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB), which included the entry of strategic foreign partners, has sparked a tangible improvement in the operation of the nation's airports. Managing director Izani Ghani said the airport operator has pivoted towards becoming more agile, responsive and customer-focused, shedding its old ways in favour of speed and service excellence. 'I told my team we cannot run an airport at the pace we used to before. This is a customer-facing business. Our customers expect quick responses and smooth experiences,' he said in his first media briefing today on MAHB's strategic direction following the privatisation. Izani Ghani. Izani said the positive trajectory is being driven by strategic upgrades and service transformations across its network, particularly at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA). MAHB has completed 14 facility upgrades in the first half of the year at KLIA's Terminal 1, improving passenger clearance lanes and check-in zones. These efforts, costing some RM30 million, have increased security screening throughput by 40%. Its initiatives to enhance customer experience by reducing bottlenecks have seen a reduction in minimum connecting time from 90 minutes to 60 minutes at Terminal 2. 'These are the low-hanging fruits, done with support from our experienced partners, including Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP). They helped us fine-tune operations, such as shortening clearance times and optimising passenger flows,' he said. MAHB is also optimistic of achieving its target of 62 million passenger movements by year-end, an achievement that would mark a return to pre-pandemic levels. Izani said MAHB is exploring the feasibility of enabling seamless passenger transfers between KLIA Terminals 1 and 2. Proof-of-concept trials are underway, including evaluating shuttle routes and baggage transfer processes. On regional aspirations, he said MAHB is focused on the regional travel segment rather than competing with larger hubs like Singapore's Changi or Thailand's Suvarnabhumi airports. 'We do not need to fight head-on. We focus on our niche. Many regional carriers are already operating out of Malaysia,' he said. GIP's pivotal role MAHB was taken private in February by a consortium led by Khazanah Nasional Bhd for RM12.3 billion, or RM11 per share. The national sovereign wealth fund and the Employees Provident Fund now hold 40% and 30%, respectively, while the remaining 30% is owned by the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority and GIP. Izani also acknowledged that GIP will play a key role in MAHB's transformation initiatives moving forward. He confirmed that Bryan Thompson, who took up the newly created role of chief airports officer in May, and three others – Adam Wilson, Ben Nolan and Richard Townsend – are GIP representatives. Thompson previously served as the CEO of Abu Dhabi Airports, executive director at Neom Bay Airport in Saudi Arabia, as well as an operating partner for GIP. The other three individuals, who are working under Thompson, also have extensive experience in airport operations in the UK and the Middle East. Wilson's previous roles include COO at Edinburgh Airport, and senior roles at London Heathrow Airport, while Nolan held senior finance positions at Gatwick Airport. In explaining the privatisation deal previously, Khazanah and EPF said GIP brings a demonstrable track record of leading airport transformations, as it has done at its other airport investments such as Sydney Airport, Gatwick Airport, and Edinburgh Airport. Apart from the 39 airports in Malaysia, MAHB manages the Sabiha Gokcen International Airport in Istanbul, Turkey.
Times
2 days ago
- Business
- Times
How to make Great British Railways a success
Before Labour ministers choose slick slogans for their new state-run trains they should recall Henry Ford's words: 'Nothing happens until somebody sells something.' Contrary to what some in the rail sector and Whitehall seem to think, rail services cannot exist without their passengers — what they want and what they are prepared to pay. A herculean effort to win more customers from the airlines and road users is essential. Britain's railways are at a watershed. Under privatisation, passenger journeys almost doubled. By the 2010s, private franchises were running three times as many trains between London and Manchester as the old British Rail (BR) had in the early 1990s. During the two decades between privatisation and the pandemic, passenger journeys increased by 107 per cent and services by 32 per cent. Passenger satisfaction in Britain was higher than for any other major European railway. Revenue increased by 145 per cent in real terms, compared with only a 16 per cent rise in operating costs, and £14 billion of private investment went into improving the train fleet. • Ministers heading for union clash in bid for hi-tech rail travel Privatisation introduced innovations in marketing, ticketing and operational efficiency. The volume of rail travel in Britain rose to a level not seen since the 1930s, on a network half the size and with a very good safety record. The pandemic was devastating for rail. It wasn't just that train travel collapsed during the lockdowns, requiring subsidies of £20.5 billion in 2023-24 prices) to cover losses. People's travel and working behaviour changed, probably for ever. Traditional flows of revenue from business travel, first class and five-day commuter season tickets, particularly in London and the southeast, have fallen away. In the year to March only 13 per cent of journeys were made using season tickets, compared with 34 per cent before the pandemic. Even though passenger numbers are close to 100 per cent of pre-pandemic levels, revenue is still down by £1.4 billion, at 89.1 per cent. Passengers are paying less to travel outside the old peaks. The taxpayer continues to cover an unacceptably high annual subsidy of £12 billion for a sector that only delivers 2 per cent of all journeys taken by the public. Consequently, ministers must now prioritise growth as they prepare to introduce the bill to create the state-owned Great British Railways (GBR), almost 80 years after Clement Attlee first nationalised rail. Without a ruthless focus on what passengers want alongside a demand-led model, a spiral of decline — higher subsidy and fares — could easily take root. GBR risks being a solution in search of a problem and morphing into the ghost of BR unless ministers develop a viable long-term vision. New research from the Centre for Policy Studies highlights four key areas which, if supported, would deliver more passengers, more income and better services for passengers. • Great British Railways 'won't be run by civil servants' First, ministers should support a mixed model across the intercity high-speed network so GBR trains faces competition from non-subsidised 'open access' operators. For 25 years this model has successfully delivered passenger growth and satisfaction on the East Coast Main Line between London, the northeast and Scotland. It has meant better services, more routes, faster trains and cheaper tickets while also bringing more passengers to the route. This has led to new, popular rail operators entering the market, which has pushed the dominant, government-run train operator, LNER, to deliver better services for its customers. European railways that have copied this successful model have seen a 40 per cent increase in passengers and fare reductions of between 20 and 60 per cent. Second, GBR should not regulate itself, especially as the white paper proposes taking key sector powers away from the independent Office of Rail and Road. In no other regulated sector does the dominant market operator also control and deliver key elements of its own regulation, such as decisions on market access and charging. This could have huge implications for growth, open access and more rail freight. Only last week the environment secretary slammed the water companies for 'marking their own homework' and pledged to end 'operator self-monitoring'. But there is a risk that this will become the case on the railways. Third, GBR must adopt an unforgiving focus on making train travel as easy, cheap and user-friendly as possible, not least when designing a new GBR ticketing app to replace those of existing train companies. In addition to competing with popular ticketing sites it must be designed by the world's leading retail software companies rather than civil servants. GBR should deliver a 'Rail Miles' loyalty scheme, which is years overdue and could be linked with purchases made in the hospitality and retail sectors. • The Times View: Prejudice against private train operators is misguided Fourth, the vast 52,000-hectare railway estate can and must generate much more income. Commercial and residential development, renewable energy generation, light parcel freight, health hubs at stations alongside a higher-quality retail offer are all underused sources of income. We must learn from countries such as Japan, where railways earn at least one third of their revenue from non-ticket sources. Rail can and must be at the centre of Britain's industrial, employment, housing and regeneration strategies. The ghost of BR hangs over GBR. But if the passenger is put first and proven models are embraced then the future could be very different. Rail might not get another chance. Tony Lodge is a research fellow at the Centre for Policy Studies and author of Rail's Last Chance, published today by the CPS
Malay Mail
3 days ago
- Business
- Malay Mail
Petaling Jaya council backs Selangor's parking privatisation with conditions
PETALING JAYA, July 27 — The Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) has given conditional support to the Selangor government's plan to privatise on-street parking in the state. As reported by The Star, Petaling Jaya Mayor Mohamad Zahri Samingon stressed that any agreement must ensure the city continues to receive at least the same level of income from parking fees, or ideally more. Zahri stated that the council's primary concern is to safeguard its current parking fee revenue. 'We also need to fine-tune several aspects of enforcement, including the duration and scope of enforcement officers' roles, to ensure a smooth transition during privatisation,' he was quoted as saying by the daily. He further emphasised the importance of keeping the city's parking revenue stable, if not improved, and added that the privatisation process 'should not disrupt the parking situation in Petaling Jaya.' On Friday, Malay Mail reported that Petaling Jaya MP Lee Chean Chung had launched a campaign to gather signatures from Selangor backbenchers urging the state government to delay and review the privatisation of public parking lots under the Selangor Smart Parking System (SIP). Lee noted that MBPJ was the only local council to formally oppose SIP, while other councils might be limited by their appointed status. He, along with other MPs, has raised concerns over the scheme and called for an independent review, as well as full transparency regarding its terms.
The Guardian
5 days ago
- Business
- The Guardian
Water firms should serve the common good
The Water Commission's failure to consider renationalisation as an option for the industry does not necessarily mean that we'll 'watch the industry continue to sink under the failed model of privatisation', as the Green party's co-leader, Adrian Ramsay, has suggested ('Less reorganising, more doing': landmark report alone won't fix broken water sector, 21 July). But, as you say in your editorial (21 July), it will mean that 'making water companies value the public interest more highly, relative to private profit, will be an ongoing struggle'. There is a way, however, of ensuring that the public interest wins this struggle. Change the laws on corporate governance. Legally require water and other private companies to operate in the interests of the common good, and develop a regulatory system to ensure that this happens. This would make it easier to prosecute CEOs and other senior executives, should they fail to run their companies in the interests of the British people. In legislating this way, the government could take its lead from the German constitution, article 14, clause 2 of which states: 'Property entails obligations. Its use shall also serve the public good.' In so doing, the government could take note of the fact that this is a legal cornerstone of Germany's social market version of capitalism – one that for a long time has surpassed Britain's in terms of its higher levels of prosperity, with far lower levels of HendersonLeeds I could accept a privatised water industry if I had a choice of provider. As a Severn Trent customer, the only way to change my water supplier is to move house. There is no incentive for Severn Trent to offer me the best service it can, as there is no penalty for not doing so. Pious statements about regulation are easily addressed by looking at the regulatory bonfire that occurs every time we elect a Tory government. I've been a Labour voter for 40-plus years, and was incensed enough to think about changing my vote over the benefit changes disaster, but now have a positive reason to consider a vote for the Green party – an unambiguous commitment to nationalisation. This is the only way of getting an accountable BowdenBirmingham Have an opinion on anything you've read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section.
Zawya
5 days ago
- Business
- Zawya
Saudi Arabia privatises three local soccer clubs through public offering
Saudi Arabia announced on Thursday the privatisation of three soccer clubs, Al-Ansar, Al-Kholood, and Al-Zulfi, through a public offering, the sports ministry said. Ownership of these three clubs has been transferred to investment entities, it said, without giving any financial details. The ownership of Al-Zulfi Club will transfer to Nojoom AlSalam company, Al-Kholood to Harburg Group, and Al-Ansar to the Awdah Al Biladi And His Sons company. As for other clubs, the ministry confirmed it has completed the bidding stage for Al-Nahda Club and is reviewing offers, with an extension granted for further proposals. Sport is one of the pillars of Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 economic diversification plan that seeks to build new industries and create jobs. (Reporting by Jana Choukeir and Ahmed Elimam Editing by Tomasz Janowski, Kirsten Donovan)
