KOTA KINABALU: 23 March 2026: China’s Chongqing Airlines launched its inaugural service, linking southwestern China to Kota Kinabalu, the state capital of Sabah, Malaysia, last week.
OQ2193 landed at Kota Kinabalu International Airport (KKIA) at 2315, marking the start of a three-weekly service operating on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday, using an A320 with 166 seats. Flight time: Four hours and 15 minutes.
Chongqing Airlines is a subsidiary of China Southern Airlines.
Flight schedule
OQ1923 departs Chongqing (CKG) at 1845 and arrives in Kota Kinabalu (BKI) at 2315. (Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday).
OQ1924 departs Kota Kinabalu (BKI) at 0030 and arrives in Chongqing (CKG) at 0510 (Wednesday, Friday and Sunday).
The service opens a new gateway for travellers from southwest China during the Visit Malaysia 2026 campaign year.
Malaysia Airports Holdings (MAHB) welcomed the 154 passengers on board the inaugural flight with a water cannon salute.
With the addition of Chongqing, Sabah is now connected to eight key cities in China — the others being Hong Kong, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Shanghai, Beijing, Hangzhou, and Fuzhou, further strengthening its position in the Chinese outbound travel market.
(Source: Sabah Tourism Board with additional reporting)
