KUCHING, May 8: AirAsia may open Bintulu-Singapore flights services in September or October this year.
According to Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture (Motac) Dato Sri Tiong King Sing, the route would help expand Bintulu as a heavy industry hub with more investments.
“Hopefully this would bring even more benefits, convenience for the business community, and connections to the international market.
“I have a preliminary understanding with AirAsia to develop more direct flights between Bintulu and Singapore by the end of this year, albeit without confirmation of the weekly frequency yet, hopefully up to twice weekly,” he said at the Bintulu Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry 25th Council for 2023-2025 and 7th Youth Business installation ceremony, yesterday (May 7), according to a statement.
Tiong, who is also Bintulu MP, said with the global economy in recovery stage, more airlines will resume and open more routes to serve more cities in the second half of 2023 which would lead an economic boom for more companies to expand.
However, he pointed out, although Malaysia is in the post-Covid-19 pandemic era, Ministry of Health (MOH) has issued a warning to beware of another potential wave.
“Therefore, I call on all businesses and shop owners to take the proper preventive precautions such as masking up to protect public health.
“It’s also noteworthy that Covid-19 has accelerated the transition of businesses and daily life to digitalisation where more transactions are trending towards being contactless and online,” he added.
Tiong also urged traditional businesses to keep pace with the times by learning to adapt and adopt new tech to remain competitive.
“Therefore, I hope that the Bintulu Chinese Chamber of Commerce can hold a series of training to teach businesses on digitalisation and using technology to transform traditional businesses.
“Let’s help our friends form some clear way forward in today’s new business environment by understanding the resources needed for transformation and reform,” he said. — DayakDaily
