The Middle East and North Africa’s first and largest low-cost carrier (LCC), Air Arabia, inaugurated its direct flight between Kuala Lumpur and Sharjah. The seven-hour flight between the two cities is the first direct flight by a low-cost carrier connecting Malaysia with the UAE and GCC. The inaugural flight landed at KL International Airport at 08:50am local time.
Flights on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays depart Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) at 03:35 hours local time arriving Sharjah International Airport at 06:50 hours local time. The return flights depart Sharjah International Airport at 14:55 hours local time arriving in Kuala Lumpur at 02:25 hours local time. Flights operating on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays depart KLIA at 09:55 hours local time arriving at Sharjah International Airport at 13:10 hours local time. The return flights depart Sharjah International Airport at 21:20 hours local time arriving in Kuala Lumpur at 08:50 hours local time.
Commenting on the inaugural launch of the route, Adel Al Ali, Group Chief Executive Officer of Air Arabia, said, “We are delighted to be the first low cost airline to connect Kuala Lumpur with the UAE and GCC. We are confident this new service linking the two cities will further strengthen the trade and tourism ties between both nations.”
According to YB Datuk Mohamadin Ketapi, Minister of Tourism, Arts & Culture Malaysia, “This year, our target is to have 337,100 tourists from West Asia region, and I believe that the establishment of Air Arabia’s Sharjah-Kuala Lumpur route will certainly help with increasing tourist arrivals from this region. The flight couldn’t have come at a better time as we are also aggressively promoting Malaysia in the run-up to our Visit Malaysia 2020 campaign.”