KOTA KINABALU: Budget carrier AirAsia is expecting five million guest arrivals to Sabah through Kota Kinabalu, Sandakan, and Tawau this year, up from the 3.7 million arrivals recorded in 2024.
In a statement today, AirAsia said this growth target includes both domestic and international travellers and reinforces its leadership in enhancing the region’s connectivity and contributing to its economic growth.
“Towards this end, the airline’s 2025 expansion plans include strengthening its existing network of 27 routes, comprising 13 domestic and 14 international connections to or from Sabah.
“These enhancements are expected to contribute to a 35 per cent increase in flights to over 51,500 annually and a 43 per cent growth in seat capacity,” said AirAsia.
According to the statement, AirAsia played a key role in helping Sabah reach its goal of over three million visitors last year, flying a significant portion of these guests and reinforcing its position as the leading airline supporting the region’s connectivity and tourism growth.
As part of efforts to rally the region’s tourism ecosystem, the airline is holding a series of roadshows across Sabah to strengthen partnerships and align efforts in improving essential tourism touchpoints such as accommodation, activities, transportation, and accessibility, while exploring strategic investments to elevate its tourism infrastructure.
AirAsia Aviation Group chief executive officer Bo Lingam said the ambitious 2025 goal reaffirms the airline’s commitment, underscored by significant investments in operational capacity to increase flights and targeted marketing efforts.
“With higher arrivals, these initiatives have the potential to create substantial economic multiplier effects for the region and local businesses, fuelled by a robust supply chain and increased tourist spending.
“Our growth in Sabah would not be possible without the impactful collaborations we have built with the Sabah Tourism Board (STB) and industry partners. To sustain this momentum, we strongly advocate for greater collaboration and shared incentives from key players in the tourism and hospitality sectors, including hotels and tourism players,” he said.
Lingam said by investing in joint promotions and supporting strategic routes, tourism’s economic benefits for Sabah can be amplified and maintain a steady growth trajectory.
He said complementing these efforts, AirAsia is making targeted investments in Fly-Thru offerings and expanding key routes in high-priority markets such as Vietnam, India, Indonesia, and Kazakhstan.
“These initiatives are further strengthened by sustained campaigns aimed at attracting travellers from China, Hong Kong, and Singapore.
“Together with our partners, we aim to position Sabah as a thriving global destination that benefits communities far beyond the airport and cements its standing as a world-class tourism hub,” he said.
Last year, AirAsia and STB entered into a strategic five-year partnership to boost the region’s tourism industry by improving air connectivity across the Brunei Darussalam-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines East ASEAN Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA) and expanding links to the broader ASEAN region, North Asia, and Oceania from 2024 to 2028.
— BERNAMA
