KUALA LUMPUR, February 19 – On February 10, 2024, Malaysia celebrated the arrival of the inaugural Batik Air flight from Sabiha Gokcen International Airport, Istanbul, to Kuala Lumpur International Airport. Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture YB Dato Sri Tiong King Sing, alongside representatives from Batik Air and Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad (MAHB), extended a warm welcome to passengers on Flight OD724, which received a water salute upon landing.
The new four-times-weekly direct flight, operated with an Airbus A330-300 boasting a seating capacity of 377, offers departures every Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. This milestone underscores Malaysia’s commitment to enhancing tourist traffic between the two destinations and improving connectivity with other international continents through Sabiha Gokcen International Airport (SAW) in Istanbul, Turkey.
From January to November 2023, Malaysia experienced a significant increase in arrivals from Turkey, welcoming 15,623 visitors, marking a 10.8% growth compared to the same period in 2019. Surpassing pre-pandemic benchmarks, Tourism Malaysia aims to cultivate more strategic partnerships and collaborations with international airlines to stimulate further travel demand from Turkey and fortify the nation’s position as a preferred tourism destination.
