By DayakDaily Team
KUCHING, May 1: Kuching is among the new destinations that TransNusa—an airline headquartered in Jakarta, Indonesia—is exploring introducing.
According to Minister of Tourism, Arts, and Culture Dato Sri Tiong King Sing, this followed a recent meeting held with a team from TransNusa Airlines in Indonesia.
“They expressed confidence in the potential of the Malaysian market and, through route expansion and joint promotions, aim to further increase Indonesian tourist arrivals to Malaysia,” he said in a Facebook post.
He added that TransNusa currently operates mainly with narrow-body aircraft, serving both international and domestic routes, including flights to major Malaysian cities such as Kuala Lumpur and Penang.
“They shared that since launching routes to Malaysia in April 2023, total passenger numbers have exceeded one million, reflecting strong and stable market performance.
“In terms of route development, TransNusa has secured new flight slots and plans to increase the frequency of the Jakarta–Kuala Lumpur route to four flights daily starting May 22, while flights to Penang will be increased to twice daily.
“They are also exploring the possibility of introducing new destinations such as Kuching in the future,” said Tiong, who is also Bintulu MP and Dudong assemblyman.
TransNusa also noted that approximately 1.2 million Indonesian tourists travel to Malaysia each year for medical services, and the airline has established partnerships with Sunway Medical Group as well as several hospitals in Penang in this sector.
“Medical tourism still has significant room for growth, and it will help strengthen coordination and promotion between airlines and local medical institutions to improve conversion rates and overall service integration.
“I also emphasised that Malaysia welcomes proposals from industry players and will continue to review and enhance various aspects to create a smoother and more satisfying tourism experience,” he said. — DayakDaily
