Traditional welcome: A water salute greets the AirAsia flight from Hong Kong.
KOTA KINABALU: Sabah tourism got off a great start this year with the resumption of AirAsia’s flights between Hong Kong and here.
After nearly three years of suspension due to the Covid-19 pandemic, a direct flight from China’s special administrative region touched down at the Kota Kinabalu International Airport here yesterday.
Welcome to KK: Noredah handing out welcome gifts to passengers who arrived on the Hong Kong-Kota Kinabalu flight.
The 138 passengers onboard were given a warm welcome as they arrived after AirAsia reinstated their twice-weekly (Wednesday and Sunday) flights between the two cities.
Sabah Tourism Board chief executive officer Noredah Othman said reconnecting Hong Kong with Kota Kinabalu would reopen international connectivity to Sabah.
“Hong Kong is one of our top target tourism markets. This is a great start for our tourism industry in 2023,” she said in a statement.
“Sabah is blessed with beautiful islands and beaches, making us a preferred destination for Hong Kong travellers.
“I am glad that finally, AirAsia has reactivated its Hong Kong-Kota Kinabalu route.”
AirAsia currently connects Kota Kinabalu to five major international cities, namely Singapore, Manila, Bangkok, Taipei and Hong Kong.
With the resumption of the Hong Kong-Kota Kinabalu route, Sabah now receives 64 weekly direct international flights.
Among the flights, 29 are from South Korea, followed by Singapore (14), the Philippines (six), Brunei (five), Taiwan (four), as well as two each from Japan and Thailand.
“Sabah will continue to improve access to the state by increasing the number of international flights from major overseas cities,” Noredah said.
