By Jaythaleela K
MIRI, April 29: Miri welcomed the arrival of AirAsia’s inaugural flight from Singapore at 11.30am today at Miri Airport.
Sarawak Transport Minister Dato Sri Lee Kim Shin said as the largest low-cost airline in Southeast Asia, AirAsia plays an important role in the air transport industry in Sarawak.
“AirAsia connects us with Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah, and other major towns within the State,” he said after welcoming the aircraft from Singapore.
He said during his discussion with AirAsia Berhad chief executive officer (CEO) Riad Asmat last month, he urged the airline to play a bigger role in promoting Sarawak within the Brunei Darussalam-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines East Asean Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA region) and other international destinations to bring in tourists, business players, and travellers in and out of the State.
“I hope this will be another milestone for AirAsia in Sarawak,” he said.
On AirAsia’s Singapore-Miri route, it will be available four days a week, every Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday.
As for AirAsia’s Singapore-Kuching route, it will operate daily. The public and travellers can visit their website at www.airasia.com for more information and to book their flight tickets.
“There are two welcoming ceremonies carried out simultaneously today, one here in Miri Airport and the other in Kuching International. Both flights are from Singapore and operated by AirAsia Berhad,” Lee said.
Earlier this month, the Sarawak Disaster Management Committee (SDMC) approved increasing the number of incoming flights to Sarawak from 576 flights to 619 flights weekly, including international and domestic flights.
Also present was Miri mayor cum Pujut assemblyman Adam Yii Siew Sang. — DayakDaily
