AirAsia, the world’s best low-cost airline today celebrated its inaugural flight from Pontianak, Indonesia to Kuching. The newly addition Kuching - Pontianak route will operate with 7 times weekly direct flights.
The inaugural flight landed at Kuching International Airport at 1350hrs and was welcomed by YB Datuk Haji Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah, Minister of Tourism, Arts, Culture, Youth And Sports; YB Datuk Lee Kim Shin, Assistant Minister of Tourism, Arts, Culture, Youth And Sports; YBhg Datu Ik Pahon Anak Joyik, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Tourism, Sarawak; The Honourable Bapak Muhammad Abdullah, Deputy Chief de Mission, Consulate General of the Republic of Indonesia in Kuching; Datuk Haji Abdul Wahab Bin Aziz, Chairman, Sarawak Tourism Board; and Aireen Omar, CEO of AirAsia Berhad.
Guests onboard the inaugural flight included Bayuh Iswantoro, General Manager of Supadio International Airport Pontianak as well as a group of local Indonesian media.
Aireen Omar, Chief Executive Officer of AirAsia Berhad said, “We are excited to celebrate and welcome our inaugural flight from Pontianak to Kuching. We are confident that Indonesian tourist arrivals into Sarawak will continue to grow with the commencement of this route and foster Sarawak’s effort in attracting five million tourists this year. On the other hand, Sarawakians can now enjoy the best of the ‘Equator City’ with direct flights and daily low fares.”
“This latest route from Kuching is part of our initiative and commitment towards developing Sarawak as a top holiday destination and a regional hub for travellers to Borneo. We feel there is a lot of growth potential in this state, and are currently reviewing direct connectivity from ASEAN countries, China, Indochina, North Asia, Australia and many more,” she added.
To celebrate this momentous occasion, all-in-fares from as low as RM89* one way are being offered on www.airasia.comfrom now until 18 June 2017 for the travel period of 5 June 2017 until 14 January 2018. The promotional fares can also be booked via AirAsia’s mobile app on iPhone and Android devices, as well as the mobile site mobile.airasia.com.
As the capital city of West Kalimantan, Indonesia, Pontianak is also known as Kota Khatulistiwa (Equator City) for being the only city in the world situated right on the Equator that divides the northern and southern hemispheres. It is famously home to the Equator Monument and biannual festivities that witness a shadowless moment twice a year.
Pontianak is also known for its floating restaurants on the 1,143 kilometres long Kapuas River, the most important river in the area. Moreover, diversity made the city a culinary charm where visitors can savour on Pontianak’s signature drink; a mix of aloe vera with syrup, delectable street food, and enjoy fresh seafood at the famous Pondok Seafood “Abang Kepiting” where diners can choose their variety of seafood to be cooked in several ways.
AirAsia now flies to ten destinations from Kuching with a total of 468 weekly flights both ways. The destinations are Miri, Sibu, Bintulu, Kota Kinabalu, Johor Bahru, Kota Bharu, Penang, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore and Pontianak.
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*Promotional all-in-fares quoted are for one-way travel only inclusive of taxes and fees. Terms and conditions apply.
Flight Schedule for Kuching (KCH) – Pontianak, Indonesia (PNK)
Flight No
|
From
|
To
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Departure
|
Arrival
|
Frequency
|
AK 1028
|
KCH
|
PNK
|
1155
|
1145
|
Daily
|
AK 1029
|
PNK
|
KCH
|
1210
|
1350
|
Daily
|
About AirAsia
AirAsia, the leading and largest low-cost carrier in Asia by passengers carried, services an extensive network of over 120 destinations. Since starting operations in 2001, AirAsia has carried more than 330 million guests and grown its fleet from just two aircraft to over 200. The airline is proud to be a truly Asean (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) airline with established operations based in Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and the Philippines as well as India and Japan, servicing a network stretching across Asia, Australia and New Zealand, the Middle East and the US. AirAsia has been named the World’s Best Low-Cost Airline at the annual Skytrax World Airline Awards eight times in a row from 2009 to 2016. AirAsia was also awarded World's Leading Low-Cost Airline for the fourth consecutive year at the 2016 World Travel Awards, where it beat a field of full-service carriers to become the first ever low-cost carrier to win World's Leading Inflight Service.