By DayakDaily Team
KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 7: Malaysia’s potential to become a transit hub linking Russia and Vietnam faces a major hurdle, with the lack of smooth passenger transfers between Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) Terminal 1 and Terminal 2.
Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Dato Sri Tiong King Sing said the issue needed to be addressed if Malaysia wanted to develop KLIA as a transit hub connecting the Russian, Vietnamese and Malaysian markets.
“While in Ho Chi Minh City, I also arranged a meeting with Vietjet, especially to discuss air connectivity between Russia and Malaysia.
“For now, there are no direct flights between Malaysia and Russia. In addition to continuously striving to get direct flights, we are also exploring alternative options that can be implemented first,” he said in a statement shared on his social media today.
He said Vietjet was interested in exploring the Russian market, including the possibility of routing Russian passengers through Malaysia to other destinations via its existing network in Vietnam.
However, Tiong said Vietjet had highlighted the need to improve transit arrangements at KLIA, particularly the transfer between Terminal 1 and Terminal 2.
“At the moment, the transit between Terminal 1 and Terminal 2 at KLIA is still not smooth and easy,” he said.
He said the difficulty in switching terminals and making connecting flights in Kuala Lumpur could become an obstacle for both airlines when planning routes and for passengers making onward journeys.
Tiong said he would raise the matter with the Ministry of Transport to explore ways to improve transit between the two terminals.
“If this issue can be resolved, Vietjet may consider Malaysia as one of the transit hubs to connect Kuala Lumpur with other destinations in the future,” he said.
Meanwhile, Tiong said Malaysia needed to address the factors behind the decline in Vietnamese arrivals and urged Tourism Malaysia to move beyond traditional promotional approaches.
He said Malaysia should capitalise on its proximity to Vietnam and short flight times to strengthen tourism connectivity between the two markets. — DayakDaily
