Sepang – The inaugural flight by Air China, the flag carrier and one of the major airlines of the People’s Republic of China, arrived last night at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA). The new, four times a week service from Beijing Capital International Airport operates using an Airbus A330-300 aircraft.
The inaugural flight was welcomed with an official water turret salute, and the passengers were delighted to be greeted by a Malaysian cultural troupe together with VIPs from the Ministry of Transport Malaysia, Ministry of Tourism and Culture Malaysia and Malaysia Airport Holdings Berhad.
Datuk Badlisham Ghazali, Managing Director of Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad said, “Malaysia Airports is delighted to welcome back Air China Limited, China’s flag carrier, to KL International Airport after a three-year hiatus. We are heartened by this return as it signifies the confidence that Air China has, in the strong growth opportunities that exist within the Malaysian market especially with regards to tourism. Malaysia remains one of the top three South East Asia destinations for Chinese travellers alongside Singapore and Bangkok.”
“Malaysia’s tourism sector with its offer of cultural diversity, beautiful tropical landscapes and booming retail sector, has always attracted a significant number of Chinese travellers, with 1.6 million Chinese travellers arriving into Malaysia in 2014 alone. These new direct flights will definitely strengthen the economic and cultural ties that already exist between Malaysia and China,” he added.
Mr. Ma Chun Hui, Senior Director of Global Sales Air China Limited was on board the inaugural flight, which was nearly fully booked with 228 passengers. He spoke to media and other guests who came to the airport to welcome the first passengers arrived from Beijing via Air China flight CA871.
“In recent years, Malaysia has been a quite popular destination for Chinese tourists. According to Malaysia Airport’s forecast, this year the airport will handle 85.8 million passengers, representing an increase of 3% over 2014. Not long ago, Prime Minister Najib also announced that from October 1 this year, Malaysia will grant visa exemption to Chinese tourist groups. The measure will further bring about a rapid increase of Chinese citizens travelling to Malaysia.”
He also added, “In the core area of South East Asia, Malaysia connects to ASEAN countries both on land and on the sea. To answer the call of the Chinese government’s “One Road, One Belt”, Air China has resumed its operations Beijing-Kuala Lumpur, which is of far-reaching significance. The route will serve as an air bridge for the development of long-term friendly relations between the two countries, further promoting the cooperation between the two countries in the fields of economy trade and investment and accelerating the development of local tourism.”
Headquartered in Beijing, Air China has several branch offices such as Southwest, Zhejiang, Chongqing, Inner Mongolia, Tianjin, Shanghai, Hubei, Guizhou and Tibet, besides its base in Southern China and the Engineering & Technology branch.