KUCHING: Malaysia is set to introduce 21 new international flight routes starting this month until mid-January next year as part of its preparations for Visit Malaysia (VM) 2026, a move expected to add nearly 14,000 weekly passenger capacity into the country.
Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Tiong King said the expansion reflects Malaysia’s readiness to strengthen international connectivity ahead of the national tourism campaign.
“These new international routes are crucial in enhancing Malaysia’s accessibility, supporting tourism growth and ensuring the country is well-prepared for Visit Malaysia 2026,” he said.
The additional routes comprise 16 scheduled flights and five charter services, to be operated by 10 airlines, linking Malaysia with destinations across ASEAN, East Asia, Uzbekistan and Sri Lanka.
Of the 16 scheduled routes, 13 will commence this month, while the remaining will begin in January.
Collectively, these services will add 81 direct flights into Malaysia, with a maximum capacity of 13,936 passengers per week.
For the charter segment, four flights will start in December with one more scheduled in January.
The new flight services will involve eight countries and 17 destinations, connecting nine Malaysian airports namely Kuala Lumpur, Subang, Penang, Johor Bahru, Kota Kinabalu, Tawau, Kuching, Ipoh and Langkawi.
Tiong pointed out that East Asia has been identified as the main focus of the route expansion.
“A total of seven scheduled flights and three charter flights will connect Malaysia with eight cities in China. In addition, new scheduled services will be introduced to Osaka, Japan, and Busan, South Korea, while Taichung, Taiwan, will be served via charter flights.
“Within the ASEAN region, six scheduled routes will connect Malaysia with Singapore, Jakarta and Medan in Indonesia, as well as Cebu, the Philippines. Beyond ASEAN, Tashkent, Uzbekistan, and Colombo, Sri Lanka, will each receive one new scheduled flight,” he said.
Tiong said the majority of the new routes will be operated by local airlines, highlighting the role of domestic carriers in supporting tourism growth.
“Batik Air will operate eight scheduled routes and one charter service, while AirAsia will launch one scheduled and one charter flight, in addition to one scheduled service by Firefly.
Moreover, foreign airlines will be expanding their operations into Malaysia including six carriers from China—Loong Air, Shandong Airlines, Xiamen Airlines, Hainan Airlines, Sichuan Airlines and Juneyao Air—which will collectively operate five scheduled flights and three charter services while the remaining new routes will be operated by South Korea’s T’way Air,” he said.
Tiong added that the expanded international air connectivity is expected to further support Malaysia’s tourism momentum as the country gears up for VM 2026.
