The first chartered flight by Batik Air carrying 180 passengers from Chengdu, China landed at Langkawi International Airport on July 22, 2023.
The maiden Chengdu flight to Langkawi will boost tourist arrivals from China to the island and become one of the top choices for Chinese travellers through direct chartered flights.
Batik Air’s Boeing 737 chartered flights will start with 10 inaugural flights from Chengdu, China from July 22 to 31, 2023 with a total capacity of 1,800 passengers.
Langkawi Development Authority (Lada) deputy chief executive (planning and development sector) Wan Kamarul Faisal Wan Kamardin said, “This news is a step in the right direction for the island, as tourists from China have long been great admirers of Langkawi and are known to be the highest contributor in terms of arrivals and expenditure in the past.
“We are excited to receive them and host them to an unparalleled experience in beautiful Langkawi.”
Wan Kamarul Faisal said that with air travel gaining momentum this year, Langkawi looks forward to increasing tourism numbers into the country via new routes and additional flight frequencies.
“With the launch of these Batik Air chartered flights from Chengdu, China, we expect the demand to grow and to be met with more travellers choosing Langkawi for their holiday destination, not just from Chengdu, but from other parts of China and the world.
“We expect this launch to spur an increase in more direct flights into Langkawi from all across the world,” he added.
In 2022, statistics showed that 2.57 million tourists visited the island and this number is expected to increase in 2023 with 3.2 million visitors projected to visit this breath-taking island.
The reopening of China’s borders in 2023 as well as the launch of the direct chartered flights to the island is expected to have a huge positive impact on Langkawi’s tourism industry, in terms of boosting local economies by creating jobs and generating income for local businesses.
