THE Firefly Airlines today marked a significant milestone to spur air travel and domestic tourism recovery with the reinstatement of its jet operations from its Penang hub.
Firefly Airlines chief executive officer Philip See said the airline is officially resuming its services from Penang to new routes in major cities beginning today.
“Firefly is now operating its Boeing 737-800 aircraft from Penang to Johor Bahru, Kota Kinabalu, and Kuching, offering comfort and convenience for passengers travelling to and from major cities in Malaysia.
“This comes at an apt time as Firefly rings in its 15th anniversary since it first started operations in April 2007, as well as the recent reopening of Malaysia’s borders; signifying growth that will further strengthen the airline’s services and offerings for all its guests.
“We are also offering fares as low as RM69 for a one-way flight on a Boeing 737-800 aircraft to Johor Bahru, Kuching, and Kota Kinabalu.
“We will start with two times daily return flights from Penang to Johor Bahru, and a daily return flight from Penang to Kuching and Kota Kinabalu, respectively.
“This will then be ramped up to three times daily return flights from Penang to Johor Bahru, and two times daily return flights from Penang to Kuching and Kota Kinabalu, respectively, from April 25.
“For the past two years, it has been very challenging for everyone across industries due to the Covid-19 pandemic, and we hope these new services will accelerate the overall economic recovery and domestic tourism in 2022,” See told a press conference after the launching ceremony at Penang International Airport today.
Also present were state Tourism and Creative Economy Committee chairman Yeoh Soon Hin, Malaysia Aviation Group (MAG) chief executive officer Captain Izham Ismail, Tourism, Arts and Culture (northern region office) director Jonathan Freddy Bagang, Penang Global Tourism (PGT) chief executive officer Ooi Chok Yan and Association of Tourism Attractions Penang (ATAP) chairman Ch’ng Huck Theng.
See also thanked the Penang government for its strong support all these years.
Yeoh hoped that Firefly Airlines would expand more in Penang and Malaysia as a whole.
“I also hope to see more routes connecting Penang to various destinations being added in the future to spur the state’s tourism,” he said.
Captain Izham said MAG was very excited to relaunch the Firefly jets connecting Penang and Kota Kinabalu, as well as Penang-Kuching and Penang-Johor Bahru today.
“Penang has a huge potential and that is why we are setting up the base in Penang for our Firefly jets.
“We envision that the fleet will grow. We will start operating with three aircraft this year.
“We aimed at growing the Firefly fleet to more than 10 aircraft, based in Penang, by quarter three or four next year (2023),” he said.
He added that with Malaysia’s border reopened, MAG hoped to reinstate more flights that had been temporarily suspended and to increase frequency to key markets.
“Malaysia Airlines recently increased services to its flagship Kuala Lumpur-London route, as well as reinstated commercial flights to India, Australia, and Thailand; further catering to the growing demands of air travel.
“The Group aims to achieve approximately 70% of its pre-Covid capacity by the end of this year,” said Captain Izham.
Story by Riadz Akmal
Pix by Muhamad Amir Irsyad Omar