Tourism Malaysia has welcomed the reinstatement of Air India’s direct flight from 15th September, 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. Now you can travel to Malaysia from 17 cities by various airlines from India,” stated 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,” he added.
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.
