ETW Staff – Mumbai
Tourism Malaysia and Malindo Air have announced the launch of the first direct flight from Trichy to Penang. Trichy Airport has become the first international airport to have direct flight services to Penang, Malaysia which is in addition to the 10 flight operations of Malindo Air to Kuala Lumpur from Trichy.
Malindo Air will operate two services a week on Tuesdays and Saturdays. The flight will depart from Penang airport at 8.30 pm and arrive at Trichy airport at 9.40 pm. In the return direction, it will depart from Trichy at 10.30 pm and reach Penang at 4.45 am, the following day. Malindo Air’s network carrier allows passengers from Trichy to Penang in connecting other domestic destinations in Malaysia as well.
Speaking at the launch Noor Azman Samsudin, director, Tourism Malaysia, Chennai said, “The decision by Malindo Air to start this new route emphasises the value and importance of tourism, trade and business links between India and Malaysia. In fact, India is the sixth largest contributor to the tourism sector in Malaysia. We hope that this new air link will contribute to boost tourism in support of MYFEST 2015, encouraging Indian tourists to come more often and stay longer in order to enjoy the festival offerings nationwide.”
Chandran Rama Muthy, chief executive officer, Malindo Air said, “We are excited to announce the news of our expansion in the cities of India. We foresee an encouraging passenger growth from South India, particularly Trichy, a huge market for Malaysia as a large portion of Malaysia’s Indian population is from this region of India.”
The Boeing 737-900ER series aircraft will operate in this sector, with a seating capacity of 180 which includes 168 economy and 12 business class seats.