KUALA LUMPUR: Malindo Air aims to have a fleet of 100 aircraft in the next 10 years and will extend passenger services to South and East Asia, particularly southern China, next year.

To date, the airline has 11 ATR72-600 and seven Boeing 737s.

Its chief executive officer Chandran Ramamuthy said the carrier would also introduce strategies to increase ancillary income throughout next year.

"While we are very much focused on expanding ATR operations this year, we are looking to enhance our capacity and route network further to include Boeing operations," he said in a statement to announce the commencement of a new daily flight service from Kuala Lumpur to Nepal on February 6 next year.

Kathmandu will become Malindo Air's 18th international destination and seventh destination in South Asia, after five destinations in India and two others in Bangladesh.

By taking delivery of more aircraft, Chandran said the carrier is poised to introduce more routes to widen its network in the coming months, strengthening air travel demand within the region.

With route expansion to Kathmandu, Chandran said Malindo Air is optimistic of capturing a bigger market to further enhance its network and brand.

"We have ambitious plans for next year, where we will look at aggressively expanding our brand presence in the region," he added.

A new Boeing 737-900 will be used for the Kuala Lumpur-Kathmandu sector. Bernama