Kuala Lumpur, August 11^th: Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) and AirAsia Berhad (AirAsia) signed a Letter of Intent to provide special travel packages and establish technical cooperation in the field of aeronautical engineering, apart from executive programmes to be conducted by UTM.

According to Prof. Datuk Dr. Zaini Ujang, the agreement would facilitate overseas travelling of 6000 UTM undergraduates starting this year by the low cost flight company.

The global outreach programme which starts in July this year will begin with the first batch of 1000 undergraduates who will be departing to Indonesia, Thailand, Brunei, the Philippines, England, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, United States of America, Iran, Australia, South Korea and China.

The undergraduates will be participating in the student mobility programme, the UTM Global Outreach, to provide them with exposure related to global academic development.

The programme is part of the UTM internationalisation initiative in preparation of undergraduates to be globally aware and versatile.

Apart from that, this programme will also expose UTM undergraduates with diverse cultural experience in preparation for global employment.

The low cost package covers group or individual travel among staff and students locally and internationally.

AirAsia will also provide special package for lodging through its local and overseas chain hotels.

The Letter of Intent was signed by Prof. Datuk Dr. Zaini Ujang on behalf of UTM while AirAsia was represented by its Chief Executive Officer, Dato’ Sri Tony Fernandes at the UTM International Campus in Jalan Semarak, Kuala Lumpur.

According to Zaini, UTM will share its expertise in the field of composite technology and AirAsia will get to use the UTM air tunnel facilities for purposes of research especially in design and testing of flight and aerodynamics.

In addition, as part of the collaboration effort, UTM will prepare the executive development module to enhance the knowledge and professionalism of the staff of AirAsia tailored to the needs of the low cost flight company.

AirAsia would also provide opportunities for UTM undergraduates to undergo industrial training aimed at providing practical experience in preparation for the job market. Travel through AirAsia would also help to promote UTM to potential overseas students and enhance UTM’s image as a premier institution in engineering, science and technology at international level.

This initiative is also part of the social responsibility of AirAsia in contributing towards education and community outreach.