Wong hopeful Sibu to have more flights

SIBU: Minister of International Trade and E- Commerce Dato Sri Wong Soon Koh is confident that there will be more flights to Sibu in future.

He believed the Air Asia SibuKota Kinabalu route will be revived.

“Sibu- KK (route) is a must (to be served) by AirAsia and I hope that in the not too distant future, we will also get that.

“We have been working on it,” he told reporters after representing Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg at the United Chinese Association Sibu Division ( UCA Sibu) 40th Anniversary Dinner at a leading hotel here on Saturday.

Wong, who is also Second Finance Minister, was asked on the locals’ request for the key sector – Sibu-KK route, which is currently served by MASwings to be serviced by a jetliner.

For the record, AirAsia discontinued the Sibu-KK route in August 2009 after operating for

Sibu-KK (route) is a must (to be served) by AirAsia and I hope that in the not too distant future, we will also get that.

four months because MASwings was given exclusive rights by the government to service the rural air routes.

On calls for more flights to Sibu, Wong said efforts had been made to solve that issues.

“The shortages or flights being not frequent enough and the high fare structure – these are the two things I think that is not fair to Sibu people.”

Noting that Bintulu will be starting the new route – BintuluSingapore soon, he said that this could not be done for Sibu at the moment for fear that it may affect the present Sibu- Johor Bahru

Dato Sri Wong Soon Koh, Minister of International Trade and E-Commerce

route’s passenger load.

“We can’t do it for the time being because if we start that ( SibuSingapore) then, Sibu- Johor flight may be affected because a lot of passengers who go on Sibu- Johor flight are destined for Singapore… you know – they are actually going to Singapore.

It was reported that AirAsia launched the first international route from Bintulu to Singapore recently. The new route will commence on Dec 27, 2017 with four direct weekly flights.

Wong (third right) looking at the memento presented to him by UCA Sibu president Kong Hian Khim (third left) while others look on at UCA Sibu’s 40th Anniversary Dinner.