Indonesia's Wings Air Begins Pontianak-Kuching Flights

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 24 (Bernama) -- Wings Air, a subsidiary of Indonesia's largest private airline, the Lion Air Group, started its twice-daily flights from Pontianak, West Kalimantan to Kuching, Sarawak Wednesday. “We are happy with Wings Air’s initiative to accommodate the people’s needs and demands,” said Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB) Managing Director Datuk Badlisham Ghazali in a statement Wednesday. He said the additional flights marked another milestone for the Kuching International Airport in its aim to become a highly competitive airport in Malaysia, noting that as at December 2017, the airport recorded five million inbound and outbound passengers. He said MAHB was confident that the new route to and from Kuching would benefit the tourism industry and bring many other economic benefits to the state. The route is the first new destination for Wings Air this year. Meanwhile, Lion Air Group Corporate Communication Officer Ramaditya Handoko said the demand for both destinations was high enough for Lion Air to provide the twice-weekly flights per day, adding that there was a possibility that the frequency might be increased. "For this operations, Wings Air will be using the ATR 72-500 or ATR 72-600 aircraft which provides 72 economic class seats,” he said. "We hope that the presence of Wings Air on this route will cater to the needs of the residents of Pontianak, Kuching, and the surrounding areas in terms of tourism and family visits, as well as MICE (Meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions). “We are sure this new route could stimulate economic growth of Pontianak," he said . Wings Air also plans to expand its international routes from Pontianak to other destinations in Malaysia soon. There would also be additional domestic routes, supported by a new fleet of aircraft this year. Currently, Wings Air flies to more than 105 domestic destinations in Indonesia, with up to 351 flights scheduled daily. -- BERNAMA