Expands air connectivity with new routes

KUCHING: In anticipation of the 2024 Chinese New Year, Malaysia will enhance its air travel network by introducing additional flight routes to Sarawak.

Tourism, Arts, and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing said the Ministry has directed Tourism Malaysia to identify potential new routes to Sarawak.

“Exploring possibilities for more routes to Sarawak,” said Tiong in a recent Facebook post.

Tiong said plans for direct (chartered) flights connecting six Chinese cities — Ningbo, Nanjing, Hefei, Hangzhou, Nanchang, and Fuzhou — to Kota Kinabalu, Sabah.

This initiative, a collaboration between Avic Ark Airline Service Co. Ltd. (AAAS) and AirAsia, will include 42 flights for the holiday season.

“Improving air connectivity between Malaysia and the People’s Republic of China is a major direction and priority for the Ministry,” he added.

Further building on this initiative, AAAS will begin chartered flights from Changsha and Chengdu to Kuala Lumpur starting March 2024, in partnership with Batik Air.

Currently leading a delegation in Beijing from December 8 to 20, Tiong’s team is actively promoting Malaysian tourism through a series of sales missions and roadshows across key Chinese cities, including Nanjing, Suzhou, Hangzhou, Shanghai, and others.