NEW MALINDO AIR ROUTE TO HELP BOOST ARRIVALS FROM INDIA TO MALAYSIA

NEW MALINDO AIR ROUTE TO HELP BOOST ARRIVALS FROM INDIA TO MALAYSIA

The launch of new Malindo Air flight from Kolkata to Kuala Lumpur on 23 October 2018 spells better connectivity between India and Malaysia, and opens the doors for more Indian tourists wanting to experience the diversity of Malaysia.

“We are happy that Malindo Air has extended its reach into this market and now we feel more committed to promote Malaysia in Eastern India. We hope that this connectivity will encourage more tour operators here to create Malaysia holiday packages for the Kolkata market here,” says Mr. Sulaiman Suip, Tourism Malaysia Director of New Delhi.

“India is one of the important markets for us and we have been getting good response from India. Kolkata is a potential market in terms of outbound travellers and we look forward to seeing good response to our new flight from Kolkata to Kuala Lumpur,” says Mr. Chandran Rama Muthy, CEO, Malindo Air.

Traditionally Indian tourists have a fascination for Kuala Lumpur and the famous Twin Towers, but Mr. Sulaiman believes that Indian tourists will be equally enchanted by the sheer diversity of Malaysia’s other tourism offerings, saying that there’s more that the country has to offer.

Mr. Sulaiman says, “We want to introduce Indian tourists to places beyond Kuala Lumpur such as upbeat destinations like Ipoh, Johor, Kota Kinabalu and beautiful unexplored beaches.”

He adds, “Whether you are an ardent traveller or venturing overseas for the first time, Malaysia never fails to surprise you. There is so much that awaits you in the microcosm of Asia. We want our Indian guests to go beyond Kuala Lumpur and return home with unforgettable memories of our beaches, rainforests, national parks, unlimited exotic flora and fauna, shopping, cuisines, theme parks and more.”

Travel to Malaysia for Indian tourists is facilitated by the ease of getting a visa. The hassle-free process of eNTRI which grants Indian tourists a 15-day single entry permit to visit Malaysia and the multiple-entry eVISA help encourage more Indians to explore the destination.

With the availability of more flight options, Malaysia aspires to welcome one million Indian tourists by the year 2020. There was an 14.7 % growth of Indian tourist arrivals from January to June 2018 compared to the same period in the previous year.

Malaysia is a year-round holiday destination due to its sunny, tropical weather. The country is also well connected by air from India, making it convenient to travel even at short notices or for quick getaways.

The Malindo Air Kolkata-Kuala Lumpur route flies five times a week offering a seat capacity of 810 seats. It offers 12 business class and 150 economy class seats. This adds to 74 weekly flights by Malindo Air from nine cities including Kolkata. The new route means Indian tourists can now choose from 225 weekly flights on various airlines to travel from 13 cities nationwide to Kuala Lumpur.

ENDS

For more media releases, media info and media features on Malaysia’s tourism industry, kindly visit the Media Centre of Tourism Malaysia’s website at http://www.tourism.gov.my/

MALAYSIA TOURISM PROMOTION BOARD OR TOURISM MALAYSIA is an agency under the Ministry of Tourism & Culture, Malaysia. It focuses on the specific task of promoting Malaysia as a preferred tourism destination. Since its inception, it has emerged as a major player in the international tourism scene. In 2017, Malaysia registered 25.9 million tourist arrivals, placing it among the major tourism destinations of the world.

MALINDO AIR

Malindo Air is a Malaysian airline with main hubs at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) and the convenient KL downtown city airport Subang Skypark in Selangor, Malaysia. The airline took to the skies in March 2013 with domestic flights and has since grown to operate routes to all major airports in Malaysia and across the continents of Asia and Australia. The fleet itself has grown exponentially to 13 ATR72-600 and 29 Boeing 737 as of April 2018. The airline also obtained the IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA).

Today, the airline operates over 800 flights weekly across a continuously growing network of about 57 routes in the region. Also an IATA airline member, Malindo Air codeshare with Turkish Airline, Lion Air, Batik Air, as well as an interlining partner to Xiamen Air, All Nippon Airways (ANA), Turkish Airline, Qatar Airways, Etihad Airways and Oman Air.

Malindo Air has recently won Airline Passenger Experience Association (APEX) 2018 Four Star Major Regional Airline Recognition & Malaysia Best Employer Brand Awards 2018. Other awards including CAPA’s 2016 Asia Pacific Regional Airline of the Year, New Comer of the Year, Australia 2016/17 by Expedia.com., TOP Recognition - Malaysia SME® Preferred Airline Partner, Airline of the Year (Passenger) at the KLIA Awards 2014 and Top Performing Airline 2015 by Travelport."