LANGKAWI, 18 July 2018: Langkawi island is likely to see more international airlines start direct flights this year according to Langkawi Development Authority’s chief executive officer, Datuk Azizan Noordin.
He was quoted by Benama, Malaysia’s official news channel, saying some international airlines, already serving Kuala Lumpur, were considering direct flights to the north Malaysian island.
This September, the island is hosting the prestigious Pacific Asia Travel Association’s travel mart that will attract top tour operators from around the world.
The PTM gathers travel content suppliers from Asia-Pacific for three days of appointments with a select gathering of international tour operators.
But delegates, with just a few exceptions, will need to fly one-stop or even two-stop airline services to get to the venue.
The only direct route at present links Singapore and Langkawi, served by AirAsia and SilkAir, or Scoot.
China Southern is in the frame for direct flights out of Guangzhou, having offered seasonal flights in the past for Chinese tour operators.
TUI Airways operates weekly charter flights to the island during peak season, November to March, from London Gatwick, Birmingham and Manchester.
Some foreign airlines serving Kuala Lumpur have also entered codeshare agreements with Malaysia Airways on the Kuala Lumpur-Langkawi sector. Langkawi airport’s website indicates that Myanmar Airways International, Emirates, Air Mauritius and Philippine Airlines codeshare with MH flights out of Kuala Lumpur to extend their sales reach to Langkawi.
Langkawi’s tourism authorities are keen to compete head-on with Phuket in southern Thailand that has direct flights from most capital cities in Asia.
According to the LADA chief, three airlines serving Kuala Lumpur — Qatar Airlines, Emirates, and Condor Air (Thomas Cook Group) — “were responding positively to calls to fly to the island”.
During a presentation to reporters attending a Malaysia Inbound Tourism Association (MITA) Business Networking Session, last week, he claimed progress was imminent with the possibility of direct flights by the end of the year.
Langkawi International Airport is currently undergoing improvements that will be ready by September. But it remains a small airport with just 2,767,707 passengers handled in 2017 up 4.2% when compared with 2016. Aircraft movements in 2017 reached 31,863, up 2.7%.
In contrast, Phuket airport, in southern Thailand, handled 16,855,637 passengers in 2017 of which 9.2 million were international passenger up 13.5%. It is served by around 50 airlines.
Around 3.67 million tourists visited Langkawi, last year, and LADA forecasts arrivals could reach 4 million this year.
(Source: Bernama)
