KOTA KINABALU: Royal Brunei Airlines (RB) has resumed its flights to Kota Kinabalu from Bandar Seri Begawan effective yesterday (Friday).
The resumption of RB services here will also open the door for other foreign tourists to visit Sabah via Brunei.
The arrival of flight BI 825 carrying 150 passengers on board at Kota Kinabalu International Airport (KKIA) at 7.50pm was greeted with a water cannon salute.
RB is the second foreign airline to resume direct flights to Kota Kinabalu, following Singapore's low-cost carrier Scoot.
Sabah Assistant Tourism, Culture, and Environment Minister Datuk Joniston Bangkuai said the return of foreign carriers is a great indication for the tourism and economy of Sabah.
"We are pleased to welcome the return of the Royal Brunei Airlines flight.
"The connectivity from Brunei will help with transiting international passengers, especially from routes that were previously in service from Australia, United Kingdom, the Middle East and Japan.
"Sabah is ready to accommodate tourists, and we hope more foreign airlines will begin direct flights to Kota Kinabalu.
"With more direct flights from cities across the southeast Asian region, we can expect an increase in visitors," said Joniston who handed the flight's passengers goodie bags which included shopping vouchers.
He was accompanied by state Tourism, Culture and Environment Ministry permanent secretary Datuk Mohd Yusrie Abdullah; Sabah Tourism Board (STB) chief executive officer Noredah Othman; and Royal Brunei Airlines senior vice-president for passenger, cargo and charter sales, Christina Chua.
Christina said Kota Kinabalu is an important destination for RB and they hope to increase the frequency of flights in the near future.
"At the moment, we are flying to Kota Kinabalu two times a week.
"We plan to increase flights, bringing more tourists from Brunei to Sabah," she said as the flight yesterday was full, indicating Bruneians' eagerness to travel.
"Sabah Tourism is collaborating with Suria Sabah and Jesselton Duty Free to provide several discount vouchers to Bruneian travellers.
"We know that Bruneians love to shop and we are happy to welcome them back," said Noredah.
Currently, RB operates between Bandar Seri Begawan and Kota Kinabalu every Friday and Sunday. The flight takes 40 minutes one way.
-nst online.
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