Noredah (right) welcoming HKG-BKI passengers.
KOTA KINABALU: Sabah begins the year with the resumption of its first flight from Hong Kong.
The flight, which arrived on January 2 and received with a welcome ceremony at the Kota Kinabalu International Airport (KKIA), brought in 138 passengers.
Reinstated by AirAsia, the HKG-BKI route will operate twice a week, every Wednesday and Sunday, with a capacity of 186, for a total of 372 seat capacity a week.
Sabah Tourism Board (STB) Chief Executive Officer Noredah Othman said she was glad that finally AirAsia has reactivated its Hong Kong–Kota Kinabalu route, adding another international connectivity to Sabah.
“Hong Kong is one of our top target markets, and this is a great start in 2023 for our tourism industry. Sabah is blessed with beautiful islands and beaches, making us a preferred destination for Hong Kong travelers,” she added.
AirAsia presently connects Kota Kinabalu to five major international cities: 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. Other direct flights are from South Korea (29), Singapore (14), Philippines (6), Brunei (5), Taiwan (4), Japan (2) and Thailand (2).
Sabah will continue to improve access to the state by increasing the number of international flights from major foreign cities.
