KOTA KINABALU: Singapore’s low-cost airline, Scoot, commenced its first direct flight from Singapore to Kota Kinabalu this morning.
Kota Kinabalu is the airline's eighth destination in the country after Ipoh, Kota Baru, Kuala Lumpur, Kuantan, Kuching, Langkawi and Penang.
Its chief commercial officer Calvin Chan said the inaugural flight, which flew a mixed group of 178 passengers from Singapore, arrived at the Kota Kinabalu International Airport (KKIA) at about 11.40am.
"The launch of daily services between Kota Kinabalu and Singapore further underscores Scoot's commitment to growing its presence in Malaysia.
"We are delighted to add daily Kota Kinabalu services to our growing network in Malaysia, connecting travellers from Sabah to Singapore and onward to over 60 destinations worldwide.
"At the same time, we hope this route will also boost local tourism as Sabah has much to offer, from beautiful islands to the majestic Mount Kinabalu," he said during a media briefing here.
KKIA has registered an increase of 23 per cent in passenger movement for the KK-Singapore sector between January and October compared to same period last year.
Meanwhile, Scoot's statistics showed that 45 per cent of travellers between Malaysia and Singapore are aged between 25 and 39.
About 85 per cent of Scoot's passengers travel independently without tour groups.
From today until Dec 5, the airline is offering promotional fares for KK-Singapore flights from as low as RM115 for the Economy Fly class.
Visit www.FlyScoot.com for more information.