KUCHING: It has taken a long time for Firefly to arrive in the Land of the Hornbills but on Monday (April 11) Sarawak will finally welcome its inaugural flight from Penang to Kuching.
State Transport Minister Datuk Seri Lee Kim Shin who announced this during a press conference said Firefly’s Penang-Kuching-Penang service will be operated once a day, with the flight landing in Kuching at 4.10 pm then departing for Penang at 4.40pm.
“Firefly was supposed to start flying twice weekly on the Penang-Kuching route on Nov 1 last year. However, due to technical concerns the route was taken over by their sister airline, Malaysia Airlines Berhad (MAB),” Lee explained.
He went on to say that on Dec 11 last year the State Disaster Management Committee (SDMC) voted to increase all inbound flights from 223 to 307 each week, with MAB flying Penang-Kuching seven times per week.
“On Jan 10 this year, Firefly Sdn Bhd asked for the return of the Penang-Kuching route operation which was later approved by SDMC on Feb 4,” Lee said.
He thanked the Firefly management team, led by Chief Executive Officer Phillip See, for making all the necessary preparations for the inaugural flight from Penang to Kuching.
He said the Penang-Kuching route is currently served by only AirAsia Berhad which operates 14 flights each week.
“We expect that with two airlines running the route, there would be greater variety, availability, and travel choices, as well as more affordable flight fares, attracting more passengers, particularly from the north of West Malaysia,” he noted.
With the reopening of the borders, he pointed out that Sarawak is now available to fully vaccinated tourists without needing them to undergo mandatory quarantine, and he anticipates a significant rise in the number of people and goods.
“We expect the number of travellers and visitors coming from various parts of Malaysia and overseas to Sarawak will gradually increase with the country’s transition to the endemic phase.
“We trust that this initiative will be the beginning of stronger relations between Firefly Sdn Bhd and Sarawak, thus boosting air connectivity for more business, investment, and tourism activities between other states in Malaysia and Sarawak,” he explained.
