Malaysia is set to introduce 10 new international flight routes, including a special rental route, this month, which will significantly enhance the country’s connectivity and tourism sector. The new routes will add over 3,100 weekly flights, offering more travel options for tourists and boosting Malaysia’s competitive edge in the global tourism market.
Tourism, Arts, and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing announced that the routes will connect key destinations in Malaysia, including Kuala Lumpur, Johor Bahru, Kota Kinabalu, Langkawi, and Penang. These additions aim to share tourism benefits across the country and provide visitors with diverse travel options.
“This initiative will boost Malaysia’s position in the global tourism industry and strengthen its appeal to international tourists,” Tiong said in a Facebook post. He noted that international tourist arrivals to Malaysia had already surpassed 20.5 million by October, exceeding the 2023 total of 20.14 million. The minister expressed optimism that the upcoming year-end surge will bring Malaysia closer to pre-pandemic tourism levels.
The new routes will be introduced progressively, starting with Vietjet’s daily direct flights between Hanoi, Vietnam and Kuala Lumpur. Other routes to follow include Indigo Airlines’ first flights to Malaysia, with three new connections to India, including daily flights from Bengaluru and Chennai to Kuala Lumpur and Penang, and from Langkawi to Bengaluru.
Additional routes include daily Batik Air flights between Bangkok and Johor Bahru, and AirAsia’s thrice-weekly service from Saigon to Kota Kinabalu. Malaysia Airlines will also introduce five weekly flights from Kolkata to Kuala Lumpur, while Shanghai Airlines will operate a thrice-weekly service from Yuncheng, China to Kuala Lumpur.
Another highlight is the launch of Jeju Air’s twice-weekly rental flights between Muan, South Korea and Kota Kinabalu on December 10. Meanwhile, the launch date for Jiangxi’s twice-weekly route from Nanchang, China to Kuala Lumpur will be announced at a later time.
Once fully operational, the new routes will add 50 international flights to Malaysia each week, raising the country’s weekly passenger capacity from 612,423 to nearly 620,000.
“This is a significant development for Malaysia’s tourism sector,” said Tiong, adding that the expanded flight network will strengthen Malaysia’s position as a premier tourist destination.
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