SEPANG, 15th March 2024 – Dr. Yasmeen Yasim, Deputy Secretary General (Tourism) of the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture (MOTAC) welcomed passengers and cabin crew of flight D7 601, the inaugural AirAsia X flight arriving at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (Terminal 2) from Almaty, Kazakhstan, alongside Mr. Manoharan Periasamy, Director General of Tourism Malaysia, and representatives from AirAsia X and Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad (MAHB).

This new four-times-weekly direct flight operates with an Airbus A330-300 with a seating capacity of 285, and departs every Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday. It signifies a significant milestone in enhancing tourist traffic between the two destinations and improving connectivity from other international continents via Almaty International Airport in Kazakhstan.

According to Tourism Malaysia, Kazakhstan is the third Central Asian country to offer direct flights to Kuala Lumpur, following Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan, which have also initiated direct flight services from Tashkent and Ashgabat respectively.

From January to December 2023, Malaysia welcomed 8,298 arrivals from Kazakhstan, reflecting a 37.1% decrease compared to the same period in 2019, which saw 18,138 arrivals. However, with the newly commenced direct flights by AirAsia X, a positive trend in traffic is forecasted, simultaneously contributing to an increase in tourist arrivals.

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