Aireen Omar (first right), and Ustaz Dato’ Haji Mohd. Amar Abdullah (center) with other guests of honor celebrating the inaugural flight.
KOTA BAHRU: Chief Executive Officer of AirAsia Berhad, Aireen Omar is proud to announce a new direct route from Kota Kinabalu to Kota Bahru, and to be the only airline to operate this route.
“We are committed towards connecting Malaysians from East Malaysia and Peninsular Malaysia,” she said after launching the inaugural flight from Kota Kinabalu to Kota Bahru here yesterday at the Sultan Ismail Petra Airport, Kota Bahru.
The full AK5345 flight departed from Terminal 2 of the Kota Kinabalu International Airport at 8.20am and arrived on schedule at 11.20am. Also on board the maiden flight was Sabah Tourism Board Chairman, Dato’ Seri Tengku Dr Zainal Adlin Tengku Mahamood.
According to Omar, guests of AirAsia can now fly from Kota Kinabalu – Kota Bahru, and connect onwards to Kuala Lumpur to over 87 destinations across 22 countries.
In addition, she said that the new route also aims to connect international travelers from destinations such as Hong Kong, Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Hangzhou and Taipei to Kota Bahru via the Kota Kinabalu hub.
In turn, tourists can experience the myriad of attractions in Kota Bahru such as the idyllic Perhentian Islands, and the rich and diverse Kelantanese attractions, she said.
She added that there are many more possible destinations, even international, for Kota Bahru such as China and Indonesia.
Meanwhile, the State Government of Kelantan welcomes AirAsia’s move to connect Kota Bahru directly with Kota Kinabalu.
According to Deputy Menteri Besar of Kelantan, Ustaz Dato’ Haji Mohd Amar Abdullah, there are thousands of Kelantanese residing whether for work or studies in Sabah so this new route is much welcomed.
He said with this new route, many more would be interested in visiting Kelantan from East Malaysia and would stimulate tourism in Kelantan as well.
“The Sultan Ismail Petra Airport is the second busiest airport in the whole of Malaysia when it comes to serving domestic flights,” he said.
Also in attendance at the event were Kelantan State Exco of Tourism, Culture and Heritage, Datuk Mejar Hj Anizam Abdul Rahman and Tourism Malaysia Senior Assistant Director of Domestic Marketing, Nor Aida Ismail.
In conjunction with the inaugural flight, AirAsia is offering a promotion for this route with all-in-fares from as low as RM106 one way, with the booking period starting from now until Nov 24 this year, and travelling period from Dec 1, 2013 to April 30, 2014.
AirAsia flies three times weekly from Kota Kinabalu to Kota Bahru, and connects both East Malaysia and Peninsular with more than 417 weekly flights.