A series of new AirAsia flights from Beijing and Macao to Kota Kinabalu began last month and are already showing signs of steady demand. In recent weeks, seats on these new routes have shown an impressive 90 percent load factor (meaning the percentage of available seats sold).
The first flight from Beijing took off on 2 July 2023, carrying 172 guests (92 percent), while the first service took off from Macao on 16 July with 169 guests on board (93 percent). Tourism officials have been quick to highlight the success of these new services, and the potential for further growth in the market.
“The impressive load factors from AirAsia will not only foster stronger international relations and open up new opportunities for economic growth and cultural exchanges for Sabah as a whole, but also bring us a step closer to achieving our aim of registering more 2.2 million tourist arrivals this year,” said Minister of Tourism, Culture and Environment Sabah, YB Datuk Christina Liew.
“The tourism scene is moving fast towards recovery, especially from China since its border reopening this year, and we are pleased to continue working with AirAsia to welcome more travellers into the state,” added the Minister.
AirAsia’s mid-haul airline, AirAsia X (AAX) also recorded similar load factor figures on its inaugural flight from Chengdu (Tianfu) to Kuala Lumpur on 1 July 2023, with 376 passengers (99 percent). In response to this clear indicator of demand, the airline has already increased its frequency on the service from two weekly flights to three. AirAsia has since announced plans to further capitalise on demand in China for travel to Kota Kinabalu and beyond.
“We are proud to continuously contribute to the tourism industry in Sabah,” said AirAsia Malaysia CEO, Riad Asmat in a recent statement: “Kota Kinabalu has always been an important hub for us, and our Sabah network growth plays a significant role in our recovery strategy.”
AirAsia currently operates 21 domestic and international routes to Sabah, with a total of 300 flights a week going to and from the state. This has been supported by the addition of new services from Beijing and Macao. From 1 January to the first week of July, AirAsia have already flown 2.1 million travellers to Sabah.
As the airline’s CEO explains, “with the strong demand for more China flights from this hub, we look forward to increasing the frequency and adding more routes in the future. This would have not been possible without the support from our industry partners, especially Sabah Tourism Board and we would like to take this opportunity to thank them for their support.”
