KOTA KINABALU: Sabah today welcomed its first international flight from Singapore after two years of hiatus due to the Covid-19 pandemic lockdown.
Flight AirAsia AK1794 carrying 119 passengers which landed at the Kota Kinabalu International Airport at 2.19pm was given a water cannon salute.
About 30 per cent of the passenger load were Singaporeans.
Singapore will continue to be a key market and important hub for Sabah following the return of direct international flights, said Sabah Assistant Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Joniston Bangkuai who was on hand to greet the visitors at the airport.
"I would like to commend AirAsia for being the first airline to open up international flights for Sabah…this is a momentous occasion for all involved," he said.
He said Singapore will be the connection for Sabah's other focus markets around the world.
He said the Sabah Tourism Board and industry players will attend the Travel Malaysia Digital Fair on April 22-28 targeting Singaporean consumers with many selections of tourism products and stays.
He said the fair attracted many Singaporeans to Sabah during the pre-pandemic time.
"We are confident this trend will return as currently, enquiries from Singapore on Sabah tourism packages have already started to pour in," said Joniston.
The Smart Locals, one of Singapore's leading online publishers, will link the event's platform to a Sabah digital campaign to help state tourism players succeed at the fair, he added.
According to Joniston, the low-cost carrier AirAsia has been an important contributor to Sabah's economy through tourism and hospitality since its presence in 2001.
"I am pleased to learn that AirAsia has expanded its offerings beyond flights, and is now home to several thriving e-commerce ventures, namely its one-stop platform, the AirAsia Super App.
"In line with the transition to an endemic phase, I believe that this resumption of international flights comes at the right time for both tourists and locals in Sabah, who have been excitedly anticipating and planning their travels," he said.
Prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, Sabah received 126,000 passengers through Singapore with Singaporeans accounting for 34,000 of the total.
Meanwhile, AirAsia (airlines) chief commercial officer Tan Mai Yin said the airline is currently operating thrice-weekly flights between Singapore and Kota Kinabalu, with daily flights beginning on April 29.
"We are also reviewing direct flights from Thailand, the Philippines, and Indonesia to Kota Kinabalu. We are excited about this and we will announce a further update," she said.
Tan added that they expected direct routes from Thailand and the Philippines to begin in the first half of this year, with the rest in the second half.
Present at the event were the state's tourism ministry permanent secretary Datuk Mohd Yusrie Abdullah; Tourism Malaysia deputy chairman Datuk Seri Dr Anil Jeet Singh Sandhu; Sabah Tourism Board chief executive officer Noredah Othman and Tourism Malaysia Sabah director Ednie Rahma Ab Rahim, among others.
