Sabah expects more domestic travellers

 

Sabah Tourism Board chief executive officer Noredah Othman (3rd right) with MYAirline director Datuk Abd Hamid Mohd Ali and the airline’s crew pose for a picture after welcoming travellers at the Kota Kinabalu International Airport (KKIA). -NSTP/MOHD ADAM ARININ

KOTA KINABALU: There is a high demand for airlines to serve Sabah.

Sabah Tourism Board chief executive officer Noredah Othman said as of October, the domestic market had reached over a million visitors.

"Domestic is our biggest market also for pre and post-pandemic. With the new airline, MYAirline, I think it gives everyone a chance to continue travelling to Sabah.

"We are happy that MYAirline has embarked on flying to Kota Kinabalu (KK). The competition is there but at least we can bring more Malaysians to visit Sabah, to help us, especially in the domestic market.

"In the future, we hope to strengthen our collaboration with MYAirline and introduce other destinations in the state," she said while stressing that being accessible to travellers is essential for the success of any tourist destination.

She added that the KK International Airport (KKIA) handled close to nine million passengers before the Covid-19 pandemic and was still the second busiest airport after Kuala Lumpur International Airport. Noredah was speaking to the press after MYAirline's inaugural flight officially touched down here today.

MYAirline director Datuk Abd Hamid Mohd Ali said the airline will operate one daily flight to Kuching and two daily flights to Kota Kinabalu and Langkawi with the Airbus A320-200 aircraft with a single class, 180-seat configuration.

He noted that the flight to KK recorded a load factor of over 80 per cent, showing encouraging demand for travel.

"The flight frequency will slowly be increased to accommodate increasing travel demands," he said, adding that MYAirline was giving more options to the passenger with competitive prices and they will also compete in terms of service quality.

He said MYAirline was planning to expand by opening more domestic routes by the first quarter of 2023 from Kuala Lumpur to Kota Baru, Penang and Sibu.

"As announced last week, the airline also has plans in the pipeline to fly to selected Asean destinations, connecting Malaysia to this region by the second quarter of 2023," he said.

Meanwhile in a statement, in line with the airline's commitment to achieve its sustainability goals, MYAirline said it was proud to be the first airline in the world to be fitted with light, innovative and eco­friendly seats.

"Manufactured in Italy, these ergonomically designed seats save approximately 800kg of weight which translates to fuel saving.

"Besides championing sustainability, the airline also places importance on airline safety measures and complies with the requirement on safety regulations set by the Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia (CAAM) and has the professional capabilities to establish and maintain a system for aircraft operations," read the statement.

-nst Online.

MYAirline to start selling flights on Nov 26, ready to fly from Dec 1

 

KUALA LUMPUR: MYAirline Sdn Bhd, Malaysia's new low-cost carrier, is set to fly from Dec 1 from Kuala Lumpur International Airport 2 (klia2) to Langkawi, Kuching and Kota Kinabalu.

The airline is offering an all-in fare, which travellers can buy from Nov 26, from as low as RM48 from Kuala Lumpur to Langkawi one-way and from RM68 and RM88 one-way to Kuching and Kota Kinabalu respectively from Kuala Lumpur.

The offer, which includes airport tax, is valid from Nov 26-30, while the travel period is from Dec 1 2022 to March 25 2023. Tickets can be purchased on MYAirline website.

MyAirline chief executive officer Rayner Teo said the air operator certificate (AOC) from Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia (CAAM) confirmed that the carrier complied with the requirement on safety regulations.

He added that the certificate also provef that the airline had professional capabilities to establish and maintain a system for aircraft operations.

"We're excited to announce that we're ready to 'open-for-sale.' I would like to thank MyAirline community for their patience while we undergo the regulatory processes for our license application," Teo said in a statement.

MYAirline will commence weekly flights to Kuching and twice weekly to Kota Kinabalu and Langkawi.

From Dec 2, the carrier will increase its flights to Kuching to two times weekly while the frequency to Kuching and Kota Kinabalu will be thrice per week from Dec 23.

These destinations will be operated using Airbus A320-200 aircraft with 180 seats in a single class cabin.

MYAirline plans to add Kota Bharu, Penang, Sibu, Tawau, Miri, Alor Setar, Terengganu and other main destinations in Malaysia once it receives the green light from the regulator.

"We'll be increasing our flight frequency as our domestic network expands and plan to start flying in the Asean region latest by second quarter 2023. Providing this capacity for the community will attract more travellers and stimulate Malaysia's tourism growth," Teo said.

MYAirline has also launched an exclusive "MYAirline voucher" in conjunction with its "Open for Sale" deal.

-nst online.