Malaysia Aviation Group Facilitates Greater Domestic Connectivity with the Resumption of Firefly Jet Operations from Its Penang Hub

The airline will resume services from the key Northern Hub to new routes in major cities beginning 11 April 2022

Penang, 11 April 2022: Malaysia Aviation Group (MAG) today marked another significant milestone in the Group’s path to spur air travel and domestic tourism recovery with the reinstatement of Firefly’s jet operations from its Penang Hub.

Effective 11 April 2022, Firefly will operate its Boeing 737-800s from Penang (PEN) to Johor Bahru (JHB), Kota Kinabalu (BKI), and Kuching (KCH), offering comfort and convenience for passengers travelling to and from major cities in Malaysia. This comes at an apt time as Firefly rings in its 15thanniversary since it first started operations in April 2007, as well as the recent reopening of Malaysia’s borders; signifying growth that will further strengthen the airline’s services and offerings for all its guests.

Firefly’s reinstatement was commemorated with a send-off event at Penang International Airport by Penang State EXCO for Tourism and Creative Economy, Yeoh Soon Hin; Chief Executive Officer of Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia, Datuk Captain Chester Voo; Group Chief Executive Officer of MAG, Captain Izham Ismail; Chief Executive Officer of Firefly, Philip See; Chief Executive Officer of Penang Global Tourism, Ooi Chok Yan; Chief Executive Officer of Penang Convention & Exhibition Bureau, Ashwin Gunasekeran; Director of Ministry of Tourism, Arts, and Culture Penang, Jonathan Freddy P. Bagang; and Director of Tourism Malaysia Northern region, Shahrul Aman Sabir Ahmad.

The inaugural flights were welcomed with a water cannon salute at all the respective arrival airports and passengers were given souvenirs to commemorate the event. The mementos were handed out by Dato Sri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah, Minister of Tourism, Creative Industry, and Performing Arts Sarawak; Datuk Sebastian Ting, Deputy Minister for Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts I (Tourism); Hii Chang Kee, Permanent Secretary to the Ministry of Tourism, Creative Industry, and Performing Arts Sarawak and Sharzede Datu Salleh Askor, CEO of Sarawak Tourism Board. Also present were Group Chief Operations Officer, Ahmad Luqman Mohd Azmi and Global Head of Sales, Roslan Ismail, representing MAG in Kuching International Airport, Sarawak.

Meanwhile, Datuk Jafry Ariffin, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Environment Sabah; Datuk Joniston Bangkuai, Assistant Minister of Tourism, Culture and Environment Sabah; Datuk (Sr.) Haji Mohd Yusrie Abdullah @ Yantis Goduan, Permanent Secretary of Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Environment; Captain Nasaruddin A. Bakar, Chief Operating Officer of MASwings; Noredah Othman, Chief Executive Officer of Sabah Tourism Board; Dato’ Sri Dr. Anil Jeet Singh, Deputy Chairman of Malaysia Tourism Promotion Board and Kamaruzzaman Razali, Acting Senior General Manager of Malaysia Airports Sdn Bhd handed out souvenirs to passengers upon disembarkation in Kota Kinabalu International Airport, Sabah.

Captain Izham said, “Firefly, together with its sister airlines Malaysia Airlines, MASwings, and AMAL, will continue to play its active role as carriers of the nation; prioritising the safety and wellbeing of its passengers as we welcome them back to experience Malaysia and reconnect with loved ones once again. As a Group, we look forward to the upcoming months as we continue to reinstate our pre-Covid operations and introduce new, exciting markets for passengers to Fly Malaysia and beyond.”

Philip See added, “We have seen the extent of what the pandemic has done to various industries globally, but now we are in a position where restrictions have eased as nations begin to live and travel with COVID-19. We are delighted that Firefly resumes its jet operations at this crucial time, and simultaneously begins servicing new routes that will significantly benefit connectivity for tourists and communities. This also marks our 15th year of operations, where we have since strengthened our foothold as a pioneer in short-haul flights within the region, offering convenience and comfort to all. The airline will continue to expand its connectivity within ASEAN, offering value bundle packages beyond convenience and regions.”

The airline will run two times daily return flights from PEN to JHB and one-time daily return flights from PEN to KCH and BKI respectively. Beginning 25 April 2022, these frequencies will be increased to three times daily from PEN to JHB, and two times daily from PEN to KCH and BKI respectively.

To elevate the experience beyond convenience, Firefly has introduced its new value bundle services where customers can tailor-make their travel needs and get 50% off its new value bundle offers from its Plus, Extra or Flex fares and enjoy its feature such as 20KG baggage allowance, in-flight hot meals, 2X flight changes, priority baggage, boarding & check-in, all seat selection, travel insurance and many more value for money benefits.

With Malaysia’s border reopened, MAG looks to reinstate further flights that have been temporarily suspended and increase frequency to key markets. Malaysia Airlines recently increased services to its flagship Kuala Lumpur-London route, as well as reinstated commercial flights to India, Australia, and Thailand, further catering to growing demands of air travel. The Group aims to achieve approximately 70% of its pre-Covid capacity by the end of 2022.

For more information on products and services, download Firefly’s mobile app or visit www.fireflyz.com.my.