KUANTAN, 2 February 2018 - Scoot today launched its inaugural flight from Singapore to Kuantan, making it the sixth destination in Malaysia after Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Langkawi, Ipoh and Kuching.
The inaugural flight landed at the Kuantan Sultan Haji Ahmad Shah Airport (KUA) at about 2.40pm on 2 February 2018, with passengers on Scoot’s A320 aircraft receiving a warm welcome with a traditional “GendangPahang” drum performance organised by Pahang Tourism.
Scoot is the low-cost arm of the Singapore Airlines Group. Scoot took to the skies in June 2012 and merged with Tigerair Singapore in July 2017, retaining the Scoot brand and positioning it well for a new chapter of growth. Scoot has carried over fifty million guests and now operates a fleet of 16 state of the art, widebody Boeing 787 Dreamliners and 24 young and modern Airbus A320 family aircraft, with four more Boeing 787 Dreamliners and 39 Airbus A320neo aircraft on order. Scoot’s network presently encompasses 64 destinations across 17 countries, with Berlin and Pekanbaru to join the network soon. Scoot will be operating three-times-weekly flights from Singapore to Kuantan from 2 February 2018 onwards.
Scoot’s Chief Commercial Officer Vinod Kannan said: “We are pleased to mark Kuantan as the sixth city Scoot operates in Malaysia, shortly after launching Kuching last December. Kuantan and Kuching are part of our strategy to introduce the off-the-beaten travel experience to Singaporeans and connecting passengers from around the region. With such beautiful rainforests and beaches that Malaysia has to offer, we are glad to open up these potential business and leisure destinations with incredible airfares for our guests!”
Managing Director of Malaysia Airports, Datuk Badlisham Ghazali said, “Being the national airport operator, we are more than happy to welcome Scoot from Singapore flying in to our Sultan Ahmad Shah Airport. Kuantan is a new route byScoot after Kuala Lumpur, Ipoh, Langkawi, Penang and the most recent wasKuching. We believe that with the total number of 241,000 inbound and outbound passenger movements recorded at our airport in Kuantan last December 2017, ithas built confidence in Scoot to make Kuantan as one of their international destinations. This new route is an addition to the current international connectivity flown by Firefly to Singapore. We are excited that this new route would bring benefit not only to the tourism industry but also to the other economic enablers in the state.”
Brief fact about Pahang: With a land area of 35,960 square kilometers, Pahang is the largest state in Peninsular Malaysia and has the most stunning tourist attractions. Ancient tropical rainforest estimated to be some 130 years old dominates its hinterlands and the best place to discover its magic is none other than the Taman Negara or the National Park. Five of Malaysia’s major hill resorts are located in the state, namely Cameron Highland, Genting Highlands, Frasers’s Hill, Bukit Tinggi and Janda Baik. As well as Gunung Tahan which stands at 2,187 meters above the sea level.
Pahang boasts some 210 kilometers long coastline which provides excellent vacation destination with international-class resorts on white sandy beaches facing the South China Sea. With its rich marine life, Pahang has become a scuba divers’ haven.
Pahang has a population of about 1.5 million. The majority are Malays, followed by the Chinese, Indians and the Indigenous Peoples. These diverse groups provide a colorful background to the cultural mix and harmony that could be easily seen in their daily life.
Pahang has recorded the arrivals of 14,827,961 tourists in 2017. Compared to 2016 figures; 12,825,528 tourists – an increase of 15% of the arrivals, it makes the State as one of the popular destinations among tourists. We will highlight about 45 events in the State in a big scale to attract local and international tourists in the Revisit Pahang campaign in 2018.
This, is in conjunction with “Tahun Melawat Pahang 2017” successful campaign. Revisit Pahang 2018 campaign will run as one of the platforms to gain more repeat tourists, as it is an important segment in the tourism sector. Revisit Pahang 2018 will highlight more interesting packages that offer special prices and activities to the tourists.