Sarawak Welcomes MAS Inaugural Flight From Penang to Kuching

December 2, 2021 | Estimated reading time: 4 minutes

KUCHING, 2 December 2021

Sarawak added another milestone to its tourism journey today by welcoming Malaysia Airlines’ inaugural direct flight (MH2721) from Penang to Kuching at the Kuching International Airport (KIA).

This momentous event was witnessed by the Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture (MTAC) Sarawak Dato Sri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah, Malaysia Airlines (MAS) Head of Sales Roslan Ismail and MAS top officials, as well as MTAC Permanent Secretary and Sarawak Tourism Board (STB) Deputy Chairman Mr. Hii Chang Kee, STB
Chief Executive Officer Puan Sharzede Datu Haji Salleh Askor and Maswings Chief Operating Officer Captain Nasaruddin A. Bakar.

Abdul Karim putting on the Sarawak beads garland to welcome passengers arriving on the inaugural MAS flight from Penang to Kuching today.

Abdul Karim welcomed the additional direct service connecting Sarawak to Penang.

“Sarawak is nestled on the beautiful island of Borneo, separated from the Peninsular Malaysia by the South China Sea. One of the ways in and out of the island is by air connectivity. It is so good to see that we are also now connected via Malaysia Airlines to another beautiful island, Penang,” said Karim.

“With travel restrictions easing up in Sarawak, the state is looking forward to seeing more new direct routes and increasing the frequency of direct flights from Malaysia Hubs such as Penang, Kuala Lumpur, Johor and Kota Kinabalu, and greater collaboration with Malaysia Airlines,” he added.

“The safety of will always be our main priority with stringent SOPs enforced so that travellers will have peace of mind while travelling to Sarawak. Fully vaccinated domestic travellers from all states in the country will not need to undergo quarantine upon arrival to Sarawak and no PCR or RTK Covid-19 tests needed prior to departure. The only
requirement needed is the application for ‘Enter Sarawak’ for non -Sarawakians and filling in the e-Health declaration form,” he said.

Upon arrival, the passengers on Boeing 738 were greeted by Sarawakian cultural performances to mark the journey of connectivity between the two islands. The Penang-Kuching flight will operate with a frequency of two flights weekly with an average fare of RM209 per-trip. The Boeing 738 has 16 Business Class and 144 Economy Class seats.

Group Chief Executive Officer, Captain Izham Ismail of Malaysia Aviation Group said, “Malaysia Airlines is honoured to recommence operations between two key domestic sectors – Penang and Sarawak with twice a week flight. As national carrier of the country, we play a unique role in stimulating the travel and tourism industry. This move is very timely as air travel gradually picks up domestically and we are ready to serve business or leisure travellers with the connectivity they need.”

(L-R) Roslan, Captain Nasaruddin, Abdul Karim, Hii and Sharzede during the press conference

“Our sister company, MASwings is also supporting with the increase of operations from Kuching to Miri to 12 times weekly starting 01 December 2021. This signifies our commitment to providing better air connectivity within Malaysia as well as into the rural areas of Borneo,” added Captain Izham.

Puan Sharzede Datu Haji Salleh Askor, Chief Executive Officer of Sarawak Tourism Board said, “We are heartened to welcome passengers from Penang to Sarawak. A unique plethora of culture, adventure, nature, food, and festivals, we are certain travellers from Penang will enjoy the many offerings of Sarawak.”

“We extend our appreciation to the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture Sarawak and Malaysian Airlines for the addition of this new route, and we look forward to welcoming more visitors from Penang during the upcoming holiday season.”

“On our end, we will continue creating meaningful experience for our travellers whilst spearheading responsible tourism initiatives, as we believe it will contribute to the wellbeing of our local communities and the environment.”

For more information on the Penang-Kuching flight schedule and fares, visit Malaysia Airlines website. Information on travel SOPs is listed within Sarawak Tourism Board’s website.

Visit Malaysia Airlines to book your flight today.