AirAsia celebrates maiden Ningbo flights

SEPANG: AirAsia celebrated its first flights from Ningbo in China’s Zhejiang province to two of its largest hubs in Malaysia – Kuala Lumpur and Kota Kinabalu on Thursday (Aug 1).

Guests on flight AK 181 from Ningbo with almost 90 per cent passenger load, were given a warm welcome by Datuk Yeoh Soon Hin, Deputy Chairman, Tourism Malaysia; Manoharan Periasamy, Director-General of Tourism Malaysia; Nuwal Fadhilah Ku Azmi, Director, International Promotion (Asia & Africa) of Tourism Malaysia; Lim Boon Seong, Chief of Global Policy and Government Relations of AirAsia and AirAsia Allstars on arrival at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (Terminal 2).

The flight departed from Ningbo Lishe International Airport at 12:55pm and landed at Terminal 2 at 7pm.

Meanwhile, the airline also celebrated its maiden flight (Ningbo-Kota Kinabalu) with a nearly 100 per cent passenger load at its second largest hub in Malaysia, Kota Kinabalu.

AirAsia welcomes passengers arriving from Ningbo.

Guests arriving on flight AK 1519 were welcomed by Datuk Joniston Bangkuai, Assistant Minister of Tourism, Culture and Environment Sabah and Chairman of STB; Mohamad Libra Lee Haniff, Senior Deputy Director, International Promotion Division (Asia & Africa) of Tourism Malaysia; Julinus Jeffrey Jimit, CEO of Sabah Tourism Board and Datuk Captain Fareh Mazputra, Managing Director of AirAsia Malaysia.

The flight landed in Kota Kinabalu at 5:05pm with a water cannon salute upon arrival.

As the largest foreign carrier in the China, AirAsia plays an important role in the aviation industry by facilitating air travel between both countries.

Currently, the airline operates routes to 19 destinations across China.

All Malaysians are eligible for visa-free entry for tourism purposes to China for up to 15 days until the end of 2025.

The visa-free policy for Chinese travellers to Malaysia effective 1 December 2023 until 31 December 2026 has also seen a significant increase in bookings to Malaysia.