KUCHING: Malaysia is set to welcome over 3,100 weekly flights with the launch of 10 new international routes, including one charter service this month.
Minister of Tourism, Arts, and Culture Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing announced on his Facebook page today (Dec 3) that these routes will connect five key destinations within Malaysia: Kuala Lumpur, Johor Bahru, Kota Kinabalu, Langkawi, and Penang.
He said these additional routes would offer more convenient travel options and attract more international tourists.
“These new routes will enable several states to share the benefits of the tourism market while providing more travel options to maximise convenience.
“This initiative will undoubtedly strengthen Malaysia’s position in the global tourism industry and make Malaysia a preferred destination for international travellers,” he said in his post.
He announced that by mid-December, Indigo Airlines will debut in Malaysia with three new routes connecting Malaysia and India.
These include daily flights from Bengaluru to Kuala Lumpur and Langkawi, as well as daily flights from Chennai to Penang.
Other new routes include daily Batik Air flights between Bangkok and Johor Bahru; three weekly AirAsia flights from Saigon to Kota Kinabalu; five weekly Malaysia Airlines flights from Kolkata to Kuala Lumpur; three weekly Shanghai Airlines flights from Yuncheng to Kuala Lumpur; two weekly Jiangxi Air flights from Nanchang to Kuala Lumpur (exact launch date to be announced later).
Additionally, on Dec 10, Jeju Air will introduce a charter flight route offering two weekly flights between Muan, South Korea and Kota Kinabalu.
“Once all 10 routes begin operating, we will add 50 international flights per week to Malaysia. This will increase weekly passenger capacity by over 7,400, bringing the total number of international flights to more than 3,100 per week.
“Weekly passenger capacity will rise from 612,423 to nearly 620,000,” he added.
He added that as of October 2024, international tourist arrivals to Malaysia have surpassed 20.5 million for 2024, exceeding 20.14 million for the whole of 2023.
Tiong expressed confidence that the year-end surge will bring Malaysia closer to pre-pandemic levels.
