KUCHING: AirBorneo officially launched its inaugural direct flight from Kuching to Jakarta on Friday, strengthening air connectivity between Sarawak and Indonesia while opening up new opportunities in the tourism sector, including medical tourism.
Sarawak Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri (Dr) Abang Abdul Rahman Zohari Tun Datuk Abang Openg said Jakarta is AirBorneo's second international destination after Singapore as the airline continues to expand its regional flight network, particularly within ASEAN.
According to him, the new route, with a flight duration of less than two hours, is expected to benefit Sarawak's tourism and services industries, including attracting more visitors from Indonesia to seek medical treatment in the state.
"This is our second destination after Singapore within our ASEAN network.
"Earlier, we saw many doctors from our private hospitals heading to Jakarta, and I believe this will bring benefits to our tourism and services industries," he said.
He said this when met by reporters after officiating at the launch of AirBorneo's inaugural Kuching-Jakarta flight here on Friday.
Meanwhile, the Sarawak Premier said the state government is also planning to strengthen its hospitality infrastructure through the development of international-standard hotels and conference facilities to accommodate the growing number of tourists and business visitors.
"We are currently increasing the number of hotels, with one to be located along Jalan Ban Hock and another to be developed in the Ting Ting Supermarket area, giving us two more international-standard hotels.
"Apart from hotels, we are also developing conference facilities, including the Borneo Convention Centre Kuching 2 (BCCK 2) which is currently under construction," he explained.
The development of these facilities is expected to enhance Sarawak's capacity as a regional destination for tourism, medical treatment and meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions.
For the record, direct Kuching-Jakarta flights operate three times a week, namely on Mondays, Fridays and Sundays, with one-way fares starting from RM399 for economy class and RM888 for business class.
The fares include checked baggage, seat selection and in-flight meals.
Also present were Sarawak Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Professor Dr Sim Kui Hian, Sarawak Minister for Transport Dato Sri Lee Kim Shin, Sarawak Minister for Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Dato Sri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah, Sarawak Minister for Food Industry, Commodity and Regional Development Dato Sri Dr Stephen Rundi Utom, Sarawak Secretary and AirBorneo Airways Chairman Datuk Amar Mohamad Abu Bakar Marzuki and AirBorneo Chief Executive Officer Megat Ardian Wira Mohd Aminuddin. -UKASnews
