KUALA LUMPUR, April 3 – Undeterred by soaring fuel prices, Malaysia Airlines Bhd is pushing ahead with its expansion plans by launching three new direct routes from Kuala Lumpur to Shenzhen and Changsha in China, and to Fukuoka in Japan.
The national airline will commence daily flights between Kuala Lumpur and Shenzhen beginning July 1, and between Kuala Lumpur and Changsha from July 8. These will mark its eighth and ninth destinations in China.
Malaysia Airlines will also resume flights to Fukuoka five times weekly starting Sept 2, after a two-decade hiatus.
The airline currently operates flights to Tokyo and Osaka.
“The passenger load factor in the Japan sector is currently hovering at 90%,” said Malaysia Aviation Group Bhd president and group chief executive officer Captain Nasaruddin A Bakar at the launch event on Friday.
The route expansion comes in tandem with the delivery of new aircraft. To date, Malaysia Airlines has taken delivery of 10 Airbus A330neo aircraft and 14 Boeing 737-8 aircraft, according to Nasaruddin.
