KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia Airlines Bhd (MAB) launched its inaugural flight to Indonesia’s second largest airport, West Java International Airport, Kertajati yesterday.
MAB group chief executive officer Captain Izham Ismail said the airline was delighted to add Kertajati to its network providing greater connectivity between Indonesian cities to the rest of its network.
"This provides opportunities for our passengers to experience the beautiful attractions that Kertajati has to offer. At the same time, we are also able to play our part in supporting the economic growth and tourism in West Java,” he said in a statement today.
Captain Izham said the service will support the Visit Malaysia 2020 in line with the airline’s Fly Malaysia campaign to encourage visitors to explore Malaysia’s natural attractions and iconic landmarks suitable for a long vacation or a short stopover.
“Besides leisure travel, this connectivity provides a choice for passengers to travel to Malaysia for business or to seek premium healthcare services in Malaysia.
“Kertajati marks MAB’s seventh destination in Indonesia, further reaffirming our longstanding relationship with our Asean neighbour, the Indonesian government,” he added.
The national carrier’s flight MH845 departed Kuala Lumpur at 6.20pm and arrived in Kertajati at 7.45pm yesterday.
Meanwhile, the return flight MH844 departed Kertajati at 8.25pm and arrived in Kuala Lumpur at 12.10am today.
Located in Majalengka regency in West Java province, Kertajati is a strategic gateway for its passengers to explore deeper into Indonesia’s iconic destinations, according to MAB.
To commemorate the new service, an event was held in Kertajati graced by Malaysia Airlines Amal chief executive officer Hazman Hilmi Sallahuddin, head of sub division for Standardisation of Aviation Safety Dwi Apriyanto, Public Information and Communication Bureau of Ministry of Transportation Republic Indonesia Sutriyono as well as senior local Indonesian government officers.
The twice weekly service is operated by the B737-800 aircraft with a passenger capacity of 160 seats, comprising 16 Business Class seats and 144 Economy Class seats.
MAB currently connects Kuala Lumpur to six other Indonesian destinations – Jakarta, Surabaya, Medan, Bali, Pekanbaru and Solo.