MIRI: Miri can be an ideal gateway for international routes apart from Kota Kinabalu or Kuala Lumpur.
State Transport Minister Datuk Sri Lee Kim Shin who floated this possibility said there is a need for another gateway.
“Miri is a strategic gateway to international routes because it is adjacent to Brunei Darussalam,” he told local media on his arrival from Kuala Lumpur aboard a MYAirline flight, its inaugural flight here, on Wednesday morning.
“We will discuss this further with MYAirline,” he said, to which MYAirline CEO Rayner Teoh said they are open to any discussion on the matter.
Lee said the Ministry is also looking forward to having additional flights between Kuala Lumpur and Miri with the arrival of MYAirline on the scene.
“We are very pleased that MYAirline has become a key player in Sarawak’s air transportation besides Malaysia Airlines, AirAsia, Batek Air and Maswings,” he added.
He said connectivity is very important with isolated air-travel markets where passengers have few viable alternatives to travel.
“We hope to exploit this position in the global air travel network by building hubs with far-reaching spokes.”
“Today marks a milestone as with this route, MYAirline now has three connecting destinations from West Malaysia namely, Kuching on Dec 1 last year, Sibu on Jan 18 this year and Miri on March 1,” Lee added.
“As of today, Miri has three domestic airlines operating from Kuala Lumpur direct to Miri (Malaysia Airlines, AirAsia and MYAirline). This is certainly an honour for us and I applaud the dedicated team from MYAirline for making it all the way to Miri,” Lee added.
