SEPANG, 5 August 2024: AirAsia celebrated its first flights to Ningbo in China’s Zhejiang province from two of its largest hubs in Malaysia — Kuala Lumpur and Kota Kinabalu on 1 August.
Guests on flight AK181 from Ningbo were welcomed by Tourism Malaysia Deputy Chairman Dato Yeoh Soon Hin; Tourism Malaysia Director-General Manoharan Periasamy; Tourism Malaysia Director of International Promotion (Asia & Africa) Nuwal Fadhilah Ku Azmi and AirAsia Chief of Global Policy and Government Relations Lim Boon Seong on arrival in Kuala Lumpur International Airport.
The flight departed from Ningbo Lishe International Airport at 1255 and landed at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (Terminal 2) at 1900 on 1 August 2024.
The airline celebrated its maiden flight from Ningbo to Kota Kinabalu on the same day. Guests arriving on flight AK1519 were welcomed by Datuk Joniston Bangkuai, Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Environment Sabah and Chairman of STB; Mohamad Libra Lee Haniff, Senior Deputy Director, International Promotion Division (Asia & Africa) of Tourism Malaysia; Julinus Jeffrey Jimit, CEO of Sabah Tourism Board and Dato’ Captain Fareh Mazputra, Managing Director of AirAsia Malaysia. The flight landed in Kota Kinabalu at 1705.
Malaysians are eligible for visa-free entry for tourism purposes to China for up to 15 days until the end of 2025. The visa-free policy for Chinese travellers visiting Malaysia, effective 1 December 2023 to 31 December 2026, has also prompted a significant booking increase.
