AirAsia Zest, AirAsia’s sister airline from the Philippines expands its international routes with the addition of another international flight that will connect the cities of Cebu and Kota Kinabalu in Malaysia.
AirAsia Zest, the low-cost Filipino airline, will fly hand in hand with Air Asia, the World’s Best Low Cost Carrier for five consecutive years, and will start its flights from the Mactan Cebu International Airport (MCIA) to Kota Kinabalu in Malaysia 3x a week effective today.
In celebration of today’s inaugural flight, AirAsia Zest is holding a promotional all-in-fares for as low as PhP760 (one way) from now until December 29, 2013 at their website www.airasia.com. The travel period for this promo fare starts from December 20, 2013 up to February 28, 2014. This gives frequent travellers and first-timers the chance to visit Malaysia or Cebu and extend their holiday trip till early next year.
Maan Hontiveros, Philippines AirAsia CEO said, “AirAsia Zest’s commitment in partnering with AirAsia, the world’s best low cost carrier, is to build a truly great value airline that will serve the needs of Filipino travellers and overseas workers. With the new Cebu to Kota Kinabalu flights, air transport connectivity between the Queen City of the South and Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia and other parts of the region where many Filipinos are experiencing poor connectivity and high fares will greatly improve.”
Hontiveros also praised Sabah Tourism Board led by its Chairman Yang Berhormat Datuk Joniston Bangkuai for their all-out support and aggressive campaign to encourage Malaysians to go and visit Cebu and the rest of the 80 provinces in the Philippines. Hontiveros represented AirAsia Zest executive vice president and chief operating officer Joy Caneba at the inaugural ceremony which transpired earlier today after the aircraft bringing passengers from Cebu arrived at Kota Kinabalu. Malaysia.
AirAsia Berhad CEO, Aireen Omar said, “This is another marvellous achievement and a great development for East Malaysia, following the recent celebration of the inaugural flight from Manila to Miri on 7 December, the first ever route operated by any airline in the region. We are proud with AirAsia Zest–our sister airline–for narrowing the gap between Malaysia and the Philippines, enhancing bilateral ties between the two nations and establishing a closer relationship between both communities.”
About Kota Kinabalu
Kota Kinabalu, is the capital of the Sabah state in Malaysia. This beautiful coastal city in Sabah has a rich history and diverse culture waiting to be discovered by both its local and international travellers. The city also boasts of its amazing rainforests, natural ecosystem, beautiful reefs. Mount Kinabalu has become the main tourist attraction for climbing enthusiasts from all over the world as it sits 4095 meters above sea level. For more info visit: http://www.airasia.com/my/en/destinations/kota-kinabalu.page.
About Cebu
Malaysian and other foreign visitors travelling to Cebu will be happy to know that the Queen City of the South is also famous for its pristine beaches, shopping districts and world-class resorts. Being one of the highly developed cities in the Philippines, Cebu is also a hub of high-quality education, trade, business process outsourcing, commerce and industry. Despite 2 major calamities that hit the city – earthquake and Typhoon Yolanda – this did not prevent local and foreign tourists from flocking this place. Cebu is also rich with its own cultural heritage where tourists could greatly enjoy exploring. One can also indulge on good food while having a blast in celebrating Cebu’s festivals.
Cebu (CEB) to Kota Kinabalu (BKI) flight schedule:
CEB – BKI – Z2 0191 – ETD 1005hrs – ETA 1205hrs (Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday)
BKI – CEB – Z2 0192 – ETD 1230hrs – ETA 1425hrs (Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday)
This bold move to move AirAisa’s hub to Cebu and open more international routes which will connect Cebu to Malaysia, is greatly appreciated as this paves new opportunities for locals and foreigners to visit both countries. This also opens more travel opportunities for Filipinos living down south to experience Malaysia without having the need to travel up north.
Thank you AirAsia and AirAsia Zest for making another mark in history with the Cebu to Kota Kinabalu inaugural flight!
photo credit: www.instagram.com/airasia
