Tourism Malaysia Deputy Director-General (Planning), Manoharan Periasamy (middle) with Pan (on his right), Ginibun (eighth left) as well as STB and TM officials, and Sabah’s cultural dancers at the Tawau Airport.
TAWAU (Jan 23): Tawau is abuzz with the historic inaugural charter flight from Nanjing, China on Tuesday, marking a milestone for the Tawau Airport.
Tourism, Culture and Environment Datuk Christina Liew Minister said Sabah Tourism Board (STB) is proud to announce the commencement of chartered flights connecting Nanjing to Tawau by Firefly Airlines, and Tourism Malaysia (TM) also played a role in the development of this new flight route.
According to Liew, this chartered flight, the first-ever international flight for the Tawau Airport, brought in 157 passengers on its first arrival at 5.55am on Tuesday.
She said Firefly will operate the charter flights three times a week, scheduled to arrive in Tawau every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, with a 540-seat capacity per week until the end of March.
“We warmly welcome our Chinese friends and look forward to showcasing the unique cultural and natural treasures of Sabah.
“The launch of direct flights from Nanjing to Tawau is a testament to the growing appeal of our region as a tourist destination. I am excited that this new route will contribute to the growth and development of Tawau as a prominent international destination.
“Currently, Sabah receives 42 weekly scheduled flights from Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Hangzhou and Wuhan to Kota Kinabalu with a 7,520-seat capacity a week,” Liew said in a statement.
Chairman of Sri Pelancongan Sabah, Ken Pan, represented the minister at the welcoming ceremony. His role was to supervise the smooth arrival of the flight with the Tawau Airport management on behalf of the travel agents in China.
Also present was STB Senior Marketing Manager Humphrey Ginibun who represented the Board.
China-based tourists keen on exploring the beauty of Tawau can conveniently book their flights through various online travel agencies which are Ly.com, Ctrip, Qunar and Fliggy.