Melaka Air in collaboration with Firefly today launched its first flight for the Malacca-Penang-Malacca sector with promotional return tickets priced from RM19.90 until December.

The 1 hour 10 minutes flight is scheduled to operate two services weekly on Mondays and Fridays, with tickets priced at RM188 for one-way travel.

Malacca Chief Minister Mohd Ali Rustam hopes the domestic flight will increase tourist arrivals from the north to Malacca by at least 15,000 annually.

He is confident that the target would be achieved as Penang International Airport (PIA) at Bayan Lepas has become the northern aviation hub.

“This route has great potential as at least 32 buses arrive in Malacca from Penang daily bringing 140,000 tourists last year, excluding tourists from other northern states,” he told reporters after launching the first flight of the Malacca-Penang-Malacca sector in Malacca today.

Ali was at the Malacca International Airport (MIA) to welcome 40 passengers on the inaugural flight from Penang who arrived at 8.25am on board ATR72-500 aircraft that can accommodate 72 passengers per flight.

The flight will help domestic travelers especially those in the corporate sector to save time and money when commuting between the two destinations.

He said Melaka Air will consider increasing the frequency of flights for the sector if there is demand from passengers.

“We plan to launch international routes such as to Phuket, Bangkok, Koh Samui, Hong Kong, Taipei and Guangzhou using Penang as transit.”

Ali said MIA has become an aircraft fuel supply centre when CarrierCorp Petroleum Sdn Bhd obtained a licence to sell aircraft fuel.

- Bernama