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AirAsia relaunches overseas routes with Kinabalu flight
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AirAsia Philippines expects a strong rebound in Southeast Asia as it resumes flights to Malaysia, Indonesia, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Thailand
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The low-cost carrier restarted its Manila-Kota Kinabalu service on May 27 with twice weekly flights to the capital of Sabah
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The airline will fly tourists and business travelers back to Hong Kong with a weekly service, to Singapore with four flights a week, as well as to Bangkok and Bali with twice weekly flights starting in June
AirAsia relaunched its overseas routes starting with a Manila-Kota Kinabalu flight on May 27.
The low-cost carrier is confident of a strong rebound in Southeast Asia with the resumption of flights to Malaysia, Indonesia, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Thailand.
The Kota Kinabalu service to the capital of Sabah state in Malaysia is offered twice weekly, the carrier said in a statement.
The carrier will also begin flying tourists and business travelers back to Hong Kong once a week, Singapore four times weekly, as well as Bangkok and Bali twice weekly starting in June.
A growing resort destination, Kota Kinabalu is home to an array of tropical islands, lush rainforests and the famous UNESCO site and Southeast Asia’s tallest peak, Mount Kinabalu.
Aside from being a tourism haven, Kota Kinabalu is the industrial and commercial center of Sabah, which opens strong opportunities for business and employment for everyone, including Filipinos, AirAsia said.
AirAsia Philippines chief executive officer Ricardo Isla said the airline’s resumption of flights to key destinations in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) starting with Kota Kinabalu “signifies our recovery especially in the international market.”
“We hope to revive the tourism and economy of Sabah with the resumption of the Kota Kinabalu flights. We believe that the easing of safety protocols and test requirements by our neighboring countries have also revived the urge to travel among Filipinos,” Isla said.
A survey commissioned by AirAsia Philippines in December 2021 revealed that Filipinos would be willing to travel in smaller groups this year with their families (69%), partners (40%) and close friends (24%) should international travel protocols relax.
Top destinations that Filipino travellers prefer to visit include Singapore (73%) and Japan (71%).
Ranked ninth on their preferred list of international destinations is Kota Kinabalu, with 47% of those surveyed picking the city as their top choice.
“We are pleased to welcome the return of AirAsia flights from the Philippines to Kota Kinabalu. This is AirAsia’s second international flight to Kota Kinabalu after Singapore,” Sabah Tourism Board CEO Puan Noredah Othman said.
“We are excited that international flights are resuming. STB will continue to promote Sabah as a holiday destination to the Philippines market, especially to those interested in climbing Mount Kinabalu and other niche tourism products.”
The carrier said Filipinos traveling outside their country are required to download and install the Traze contact-tracing app and register for the e-Health Declaration Card through the Bureau of Quarantine’s OneHealthPass.
Depending on their country of destination, a traveler might be required to present other supporting documents and medical certificates.
Some of the ASEAN countries like Thailand also require travelers to purchase travel and health insurance, which will cover hospitalization in case of a COVID-19 infection.
Hong Kong, meanwhile, said it will relax starting June 1 some of its pre-boarding requirements for inbound travelers. But the government said it will still require arriving passengers to show a negative result for a Covid-19 test and stay for seven days in a designated quarantine hotel.
The government said it will no longer require travelers with negative results of PCR-based nucleic acid tests to show documentary proof that the clinic or laboratory that tested them is ISO 15189-accredited or recognized by the government of their country of origin.
Pre-departure PCR-based nucleic acid tests are not required for inbound children aged below 3.
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