By DayakDaily Team
KUCHING, Dec 4: A total of 10 new international flight routes, including one charter service, will be introduced this month, expected to result in over 3,100 weekly flights.
Minister of Tourism, Arts, and Culture Dato Sri Tiong King Sing announced that these new routes, connecting five major domestic destinations—Kuala Lumpur, Johor Bahru, Kota Kinabalu, Langkawi, and Penang—will allow the involved states to benefit from the growing tourism market while providing travelers with more options.
“This initiative will undoubtedly enhance Malaysia’s competitiveness in the global tourism sector and position the country as the preferred destination for international tourists,” he said in a post on his social media page yesterday (Dec 3).
As of October, international tourist arrivals to Malaysia had surpassed 20.5 million for 2024, exceeding the 20.14 million recorded in 2023.
“I am confident that the year-end surge will bring us closer to pre-pandemic levels,” he added.
The new routes will be launched progressively, starting with Vietjet’s daily direct flights between Hanoi, Vietnam, and Kuala Lumpur.
Next, Indigo Airlines will introduce its first flights to Malaysia, with three new routes connecting Malaysia to India.
This includes daily flights from Bengaluru to Kuala Lumpur and Langkawi, as well as daily flights from Chennai to Penang.
The new routes will also include daily Batik Air flights between Bangkok, Thailand, and Johor Bahru, three weekly AirAsia flights from Saigon, Vietnam, to Kota Kinabalu, five weekly Malaysia Airlines flights from Kolkata, India, to Kuala Lumpur, and three weekly Shanghai Airlines flights from Yuncheng, China, to Kuala Lumpur.
Additionally, Tiong mentioned that the launch date for the two weekly Jiangxi Airlines flights from Nanchang, China, to Kuala Lumpur will be announced soon.
Jeju Air will also begin operating a charter service, offering two weekly flights between Muan, South Korea, and Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, starting Dec 10.
“Once all 10 routes are operational, we will add 50 international flights each week to Malaysia, increasing passenger capacity from 612,423 to nearly 620,000 weekly.
“This is a significant milestone for the nation’s tourism sector, and I am confident it will further solidify Malaysia’s standing as a leading global travel destination,” he emphasised. — DayakDaily
