KUCHING: Malaysia Airlines will be operating seven additional flights from Kuala Lumpur to Kuching for the upcoming Chinese New Year.
Sarawak Transport Minister Datuk Seri Lee Kim Shin said the Malaysian Aviation Commission (MAVCOM) has also approved nine additional flights from Kuala Lumpur to Sibu and one additional flight for the Kota Kinabalu-Kuching route.
As for Firefly, the low-cost arm of the Malaysia Aviation Group has obtained three additional flights for the Penang-Kuching route, Lee said in a statement today (Jan 12) after a meeting with Malaysia Airlines Berhad (MAB) Group chief executive officer (CEO) Izham Ismail, chief strategy officer Bryan Foong, chief operations officer Ahmad Luqman Mohd Azmi, and other senior management officers at the MAB Academy in Petaling Jaya yesterday (Jan 11).
Also joining the minister were his deputies Datuk Dr Jerip Susil and Datuk Henry Harry Jinep.
Malaysia Airlines has also increased its domestic flight frequency for the Kuala Lumpur-Miri route to three times daily on Monday, Friday and Sunday, and four times daily for the remaining days.
Lee said Sarawak has proposed to the Malaysia Aviation Group (MAG) to look into partnership ventures with airline companies to enhance the air connectivity to the state, to bring in more leisure and business travellers.
He said the airline companies and industry players should come up with various marketing strategies to bring in more international travellers into the state, especially with the setting up of the Shell Malaysia Upstream headquarters in Miri Times Square.
“We are expecting more oil and gas related events and activities in Sarawak. Thus, MAB can work on some plans or proposals to bring in more international passengers into Sarawak through their international networks and partners from about 1,000 destinations worldwide,” he added.
Meanwhile, the recent meeting also discussed rural air services, potential new routes, airfare and potential areas of collaboration with the state Ministry of Transport.
