Malaysia Airlines has announced it has recommenced  flights from Penang to Kuching and Kota Kinabalu beginning December 2021 to March 2022 as demand for domestic travels starts to show a positive trend following the relaxation of interstate travel ban and the upcoming year-end holidays.

These routes will soon be served by the airline’s sister company, Firefly from April 2022 onwards, resuming its jet operations based in Penang which was suspended since April 2021 due to prolonged movement control order that resulted in poor demand. This move complements the Malaysia Airlines in serving the leisure market while diversifying Firefly’s base connecting secondary cities in Malaysia to East Malaysia.

On December 2, the inaugural flight MH2721 from Penang arrived in Kuching International Airport at 9:55 am (above) and was welcomed with a water cannon salute, followed by cultural performances at the terminal. YB Dato’ Sri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah, Sarawak’s Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture and representatives from Malaysia Aviation Group, including Captain Nasaruddin A. Bakar, the Chief Operating Officer of MASwings handed out souvenirs to passengers upon disembarkation.

Group Chief Executive Officer, Captain Izham Ismail of Malaysia Aviation Group said,

“Malaysia Aviation Group plays a unique role in stimulating the travel and tourism industry. We are honored to recommence our flight operations connecting key domestic sectors namely Penang, Sabah and Sarawak.

Firefly will soon be resuming its jet operations to serve these key domestic sectors. This move is very timely as air travel gradually picks up domestically and we are ready to serve business or leisure travelers with the connectivity they need. With the resumption of Firefly’s jet operations, customers will enjoy a flexible service concept – with product unbundling to suit the leisure focused and price-sensitive customers, providing a more significant value proposition

With these direct flights from Penang to Kuching and Kota Kinabalu, coupled with additional frequencies from Kuala Lumpur serving the routes, we are confident that this connectivity will reinvigorate domestic tourism for Malaysia’s largest secondary cities.”

The airline currently utilizes the Boeing 737-800 aircraft on both routes and operates four times weekly for Penang-Kota Kinabalu and two times weekly for Penang-Kuching routes.

​Flights table below:

*The flight schedule above may change subject to customer demands and government regulations. T&Cs apply.