Malaysia Airlines Launches its Inaugural Flight to Brisbane

KLIA, 6 June 2018: Malaysia Airlines today celebrated its inaugural Kuala Lumpur-Brisbane-Kuala Lumpur service, with a send-off event held at KL International Airport. Jointly organized by Tourism Australia, Tourism and Events Queensland and Brisbane Airport Corporation this event marks the reopening of the airline’s operations into Queensland whilst promoting Brisbane as a key destination for business and leisure travels.

The send-off event was attended by Malaysia Airlines’ Chief Commercial Officer, Arved von zur Muehlen and Tourism Malaysia’s Deputy Director General of Production Division, Junus Suhud and Malaysia Airport Holding Berhad General Manager of Airline Marketing, Mohamed Sallauddin Hj Mat Sah.

All passengers of MH135 were given special goodies boarding lounge in KLIA prior to their flight.

The Brisbane-bound flight MH135 departed KLIA at 10.30am and is expected to arrive in Brisbane at 8.35pm, the same day. Meanwhile, the return flight MH134 will depart Brisbane at 11.35pm and will arrive Kuala Lumpur the following day at 5.00am.  

The four times weekly service will be operated by the A330-300 with 290 seats, comprising of 27 seats in Business Class and 263 seats in Economy Class. The airline is scheduled to fly every Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday.

Malaysia Airlines Chief Commercial Officer, Arved von zur Muehlen said, “Australia is one of our biggest markets including Brisbane, Australia’s third most populous city. We are excited to be returning to Brisbane to offer passengers better connectivity with our four times weekly direct flights into the city. At the same time, this is to also encourage passengers to explore Malaysia which is famous for its rich attractions.”

“Our service goes beyond just providing airline travel. We have recently embarked on a brand refresh centred around Malaysian Hospitality. Malaysian Hospitality is what Malaysia Airlines has been long known for—a warm and genuine service which reflects Malaysian culture and traditions.”

“We are also committed to build a consistent delivery of exceptional service across all customer touch-points via our latest products and services to enhance our passenger’s travel experience.”

“Meanwhile, we would like to take this opportunity to thank Tourism Australia (TA), Tourism and Events Queensland and Brisbane Airport Corporation for their confidence in Malaysia Airlines and of course, Malaysia Airports Holding Berhad for their support,” added Arved.

According to Tourism Australia Managing Director John O’Sullivan, “Malaysia continues to be a significant contributor to Australia’s visitor economy with around 400,000 Malaysians travelling to our country each year, and we continue to work closely with our longstanding partner Malaysia Airlines to realise the tourism opportunities of the market.”

“These new services will be crucial in opening up Brisbane and Queensland more broadly to travellers from Malaysia so they can experience more of Australia’s world-class natural beauty, outdoor lifestyle and exceptional food when they are here,” said Tourism Australia Managing Director John O’Sullivan.

Queensland’s Tourism Industry Development Minister Kate Jones said welcoming this international airline back to Queensland is a major coup for our state’s tourism industry, injecting millions into the economy and supporting up to 240 jobs annually.

“This route gives travellers the opportunity to pick Queensland as their gateway to Australia,” Ms Jones said.

“These flights will help Queensland grow our share of key Asian and European markets by tapping into Malaysia Airlines’ extensive network.

“Malaysia is a growing market for international tourists but more importantly, this route gives us a base in Kuala Lumpur which is a thriving international hub that will give us better access to a large number of growing visitor markets throughout Asia.”

Julieanne Alroe, Brisbane Airport Corporation (BAC) CEO and Managing Director, welcomed Malaysia Airlines’ return to Queensland saying the benefits of the new non-stop flights and direct connection to Kuala Lumpur will ripple across the state.

“Every new airline and international destination on our network positively impacts all sectors of the economy, supporting business, trade and freight throughout Queensland, boosting opportunities for tourism and education, further building Brisbane’s reputation as a major Asia Pacific centre and Australia’s future gateway city.

“This is not a new partnership we’re celebrating today, Malaysia Airlines has been a part of the Brisbane Airport family since 1990, so today’s re-launch is about rekindling a very strong, long-term partnership and celebrating future success and opportunities between Queensland and Malaysia,” Ms Alroe said.