A new Malaysian airline has signed a $1.5bn deal with Canadian manufacturer Bombardier for 20 new CS100 aircraft. Called flymojo, the new private carrier would be based out of Johor Bahru in the south and Kota Kinabalu in East Malaysia.

The launch was announced at the Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace exhibition with Prime Minister Najib Razak in attendance. According to deputy minister of transport Aziz Kaprawi, it would play a vital role in improving air travel between the Malaysian Peninsula and other parts of the region.

"As the only airline utilizing the southern corridor as its headquarters, flymojo will transform Senai [Johor Bahru's airport] into a key regional aviation and logistics hub - augmenting the government's initiatives in developing Iskandar Malaysia and the southern corridor”, he said in a statement by Bombardier.

The CS100 can seat up to 125 people and would make flymojo the first regional airline to operate the aircraft. Operations are expected to commence starting in October this year. The Bombardier deal includes the option to buy 20 additional aircraft, taking its value up to $2.9bn.