A flight chartered by Firefly from Nanjing, China, with 157 passengers on board, successfully landed in Tawau, marking the first international flight to the east coast Sabah district. The flight arrived at the Tawau airport at 5.55am, which is approximately 60km from the popular diving destination of Semporna in Sabah.
Sabah’s Minister of Tourism, Culture and Environment, Datuk Christina Liew, credited Firefly for working closely with the Sabah Tourism Board and Tourism Malaysia to make the new chartered flight possible. She also announced that Firefly will be operating the chartered flights three times a week, with a 540-seat capacity per week until the end of March, arriving in Tawau on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays.
Datuk Christina Liew expressed a warm welcome to the Chinese passengers and expressed her excitement for the opportunity to showcase the unique cultural and natural treasures of Sabah to them. She also mentioned the growing appeal of the region as a tourist destination and its potential for contributing to the growth and development of Tawau as an international destination.
Currently, Sabah receives 42 weekly scheduled flights from various cities in China, such as Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Hangzhou, and Wuhan, to Kota Kinabalu, with a total capacity of 7,520 seats per week. The passengers on the Firefly chartered flight were welcomed by Ken Pan, the chairman of Sri Pelancongan Sabah Sdn Bhd, representing Datuk Christina Liew, at the welcoming ceremony. Tourists from China interested in traveling to the east coast of Sabah can book their flights through several online travel agencies, including Ly.com, Ctrip, Qunar, and Fliggy.
