AirAsia’s first Dragon Year flight: Full from Kota Kinabalu to Shanghai

Wednesday, February 21, 2024

AirAsia marked the Lunar New Year by launching its first flight from Kota Kinabalu to Shanghai with a full passenger load, signaling a prosperous start in the Year of the Dragon.

Flight AK1516 departed from Kota Kinabalu International Airport at 9:30PM on February 20, 2024, and landed at Shanghai Pudong International Airport at 2:00AM (local time) on February 21, 2024.

The return flight, AK1517, from Shanghai to Kota Kinabalu also had a successful inaugural journey, with over 90 percent of seats filled. Julinus Jeffrey Jimit, CEO of Sabah Tourism Board, joined the celebration, which included a water salute for the arriving aircraft.

Datuk Christina Liew, Sabah Minister of Tourism, Culture and Environment said: “We are thrilled to welcome AirAsia’s inaugural flight from Shanghai today. It is heartening to know that this is the eleventh international route that the airline operates to Sabah with three flights weekly.  We truly appreciate AirAsia’s efforts in continuously boosting tourism opportunities in the state, especially from the fast-growing Chinese market. As the airline with the most routes flying in and out of Sabah, AirAsia has been instrumental in providing affordable travel for all and providing a welcome boost to our economy with many spin-off effects including job creation.  

“Sabah Tourism Board (STB)  saw an incredible increase of 1,119% in tourist arrivals from China between 2022 and 2023.  The continuous commitment by AirAsia to launch new routes and grow its services delivers significant tourism and economic opportunities between Malaysia and China. This is a great start to the auspicious Year of the Dragon in the Chinese Lunar New Year.”

Bo Lingam, Group CEO of AirAsia Aviation Group said: “We are pleased to celebrate the inauguration of our services connecting Kota Kinabalu and Shanghai. As China’s largest foreign low-cost carrier, we recognise this route’s immense potential. It comes at a perfect time, coinciding with a surge in tourism during the Chinese New Year and Spring Festival, and following the ongoing visa-free initiative between both nations. Our services to China are continuing to grow in line with strong demand. This additional new route serves as a significant opportunity for us to support the Malaysian government’s ambition of attracting five million tourists from China. 

“We are confident this new route will prove popular and are encouraged to share that our inaugural flight recorded full passenger occupancy, demonstrating the strong early demand and enthusiasm for this new service. We look forward to continuing to facilitate even more affordable connectivity between the two popular destinations in the future.”

Operated by AirAsia Malaysia (AK), Shanghai is the sixth destination in Mainland China accessible from Kota Kinabalu, following Hangzhou, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Beijing, and Wuhan. 

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