KUALA LUMPUR, 15 September 2024 – Tourism Malaysia is thrilled to welcome the reinstatement of Air India's direct flight today, connecting New Delhi to Kuala Lumpur. In addition to existing flights by Malaysia Airlines, Air Asia, and Batik Air, these new daily flights will enhance air connectivity between India and Malaysia, boost tourist convenience and foster closer relations between the two nations.

"We are excited to have Air India back in Kuala Lumpur after a 16-year hiatus. This new route provides travellers from Northern and Eastern India with greater choice and seamless travel options to explore Malaysia's diverse attractions," stated Datuk Manoharan Periasamy, Director General of Tourism Malaysia.

"Building upon the recent visit of our Prime Minister Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim to India, which paved the way for strengthening India-Malaysia bilateral ties through a multi-sectoral cooperation agenda, we are eager to promote tourism in anticipation of Visit Malaysia 2026. We believe these flights will facilitate a rise in European and North American tourists travelling to Malaysia via one-stop connections through New Delhi, thus further enhancing our tourism sector."

Malaysia aims to welcome 1 million Indian tourists by the end of 2024. As of July 2024, Indian tourist arrivals increased by 84.5% compared to the same period in 2023, reaching 625,000 travellers. To date, Malaysia receives 219 weekly direct flights from India, offering seating capacity up to 42,000 passengers.

The upcoming Visit Malaysia 2026 target is to attract 35.6 million international tourists and generate RM147.1 billion in tourism revenue. For more information on these new direct flights and to plan your Malaysian adventure, visit www.airindia.com or contact your preferred travel agent.

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About Tourism Malaysia

Malaysia Tourism Promotion Board, also known as Tourism Malaysia, is an agency under the Ministry of Tourism, Arts & Culture Malaysia. It focuses on the specific task of promoting Malaysia as a preferred tourism destination. Since its inception, it has emerged as a major player in the international tourism scene.

The next Visit Malaysia Year, set to take place in 2026, will commemorate the sustainability of the nation's tourism industry, which is also in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDG).

Furthermore, Tourism Malaysia actively endorses the Indonesia-Malaysia-Thailand Growth Triangle (IMT-GT), working towards the realisation of the IMT-GT Visiting Year 2023-2025, with the shared aim of promoting the region as a unified tourism destination. For more information, visit Tourism Malaysia’s social media accounts on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, and TikTok.

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