KOTA KINABALU, 10 January 2023: Malaysia Airlines’ flight MH81 made its comeback to Kota Kinabalu from Narita, Japan, recently reviving a vital route to bring Japanese tourists to Sabah after a two-year pause
Malaysia Airlines flies from Narita, Japan, to Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, twice weekly, every Monday and Thursday.
Malaysia Airlines’ Group Chief Executive Officer, Captain Izham Ismail, commented: “The reinstatement of the service between BKI and NRT adds on to the airline’s existing connectivity to Japanese cities with direct flights available from our main hub in KL International Airport (KLIA) to NRT, Kansai International Airport (KIX), and Haneda International Airport (HND).
“With this resumption, travellers now have the option to travel to Japan via Sabah, which remains a key tourist destination and valuable connectivity hub for us together with its’ sister airlines Firefly and MASwings.
“With the reopening of borders in 2022, we have significantly ramped up capacity; increased frequencies to key markets, including India, Australia, and our London flagship route; and introduced new direct flights to HND and Doha to stimulate tourism and ease connectivity for travellers be it in Malaysia or abroad.”
YB Datuk Joniston Bangkuai, the Assistant Minister of Tourism, Culture and Environment Sabah, who is also the Chairman of Sabah Tourism Board, added: “We applaud Malaysia Airlines’ effort and for acknowledging Sabah as an important key market. We are looking forward to more direct connectivity being restored and added by the National Airlines”.
Present at the Kota Kinabalu International Airport to welcome the passengers were YB Datuk Joniston Bangkuai (Assistant Minister of Tourism, Culture and Environment Sabah and Chairman of Sabah Tourism Board), Puan Noredah Othman (CEO of Sabah Tourism Board) with Malaysia Airlines officials, Aero Darat Services officials (MAS official ground handler) and Malaysia Airport Berhad officials.
For more information, visit www.sabahtourism.com.
(Your Stories: Sabah Tourism Board)
