KOTA KINABALU: Sabah welcomed its first international flight arrival yesterday following the resumption of Singapore's low-cost carrier Scoot to the state capital.
Scoot flight TR492 landed at the Kota Kinabalu International Airport (KKIA) at about 9pm, carrying 150 passengers on board, mostly westerners.
The aircraft was given a water cannon salute while taxiing and the passengers received a warm Sabahan cultural welcome.
Sabah Assistant Tourism, Culture, and Environment Minister Datuk Joniston Bangkuai greeted the passengers and handed out goodie bags.
Sabah Tourism Board chief executive officer Noredah Othman and chief marketing officer Tay Shu Lan were also present to welcome passengers.
Scoot launched its first direct flight from Singapore to Kota Kinabalu on Dec 3, 2019, but its operations were halted when the global Covid-19 pandemic struck the following year, affecting the tourism and airline industries.
Before the pandemic, Kota Kinabalu was Scoot's eight destination in Malaysia after Kuala Lumpur, Ipoh, Kota Baru, Kuantan, Kuching, Langkawi, and Penang.
"We are encouraged to see that international airlines continue to make Sabah their preferred destination and operational hub.
"For us, having flights coming from Singapore is important because Changi Airport receives hundreds of flights from cities all over the world.
"And the Singapore - Kota Kinabalu route offers connectivity to potential international visitors to Sabah," said Joniston.
The Sabah Tourism Board has planned several promotional initiatives to entice Singaporeans back to Sabah.
From April 22-28, he said, the Sabah Tourism Board and state tourism industry players attended the Travel Malaysia Digital Fair.
Through the fair, Singaporean consumers were presented with a wide range of tourism products and stays, highlighting popular packages such as wildlife, nature, and adventure.
Before the Covid-19 pandemic, Sabah received 126,000 passengers through Singapore. Singaporeans account for 34,000 of the visitors.
"In the near future, more international airlines are expected, with Royal Brunei Airlines flying in on May 6. Following our recent fruitful discussion, Korean airlines will also come," added Joniston.
The Sabah Tourism Board delegation, led by Joniston, was in South Korea on April 25-26, to meet with top management officials from Jin Air, Air Busan, Jeju Air, and Air Seoul.
"Tourism activity is ramping up, so the months ahead should be interesting. Seeing that our airport is becoming more busy is a significant sign for us.
"This shows a positive tourist arrival and we expect the arrival to grow, especially when guidelines to ease international tourist entry are put in place," said Joniston.