KUCHING: The Ministry of Transport Sarawak (MOTS) warmly welcomes the arrival of 9Air's inaugural direct scheduled charter flight from Haikou to Kuching, which touched down at Kuching International Airport at 5.10am this morning. The launch of this service marks another meaningful step toward strengthening Sarawak’s direct air connectivity with major cities in China. Among the passengers on the inaugural flight AQ1295 was Mr. Cai Xing, Assistant to the President of 9Air and General Manager of the Route Network Department, who arrived together with the first batch of travellers.

The Haikou–Kuching service, which commenced operations today, operates on a bi-weekly rotating schedule and is available for booking through authorised travel agencies. The inaugural outbound flight, AQ1295, departed from Haikou Meilan International Airport at 01:35 Beijing Time and arrived in Kuching at 05:10 Malaysia Time. The return flight, AQ1296, departed Kuching at 06:20 Malaysia Time the same morning and landed in Haikou at 09:50 Beijing Time. The bi-weekly rotating schedule operates on Tuesdays and Saturdays in one week, followed by Thursdays the next, offering travellers consistent and convenient flight options. With this addition, Kuching becomes 9Air’s second Malaysian destination after Kuala Lumpur, reflecting the airline’s growing presence in the Southeast Asian market.

Minister for Transport Sarawak, Dato Sri Lee Kim Shin, received Mr. Cai Xing upon arrival and held a brief engagement session at the airport. During the discussion, Dato Sri Lee expressed appreciation for 9Air’s increasing interest in Sarawak and encouraged the airline to consider expanding its network to include direct flights from Guangzhou and Shenzhen to Kuching. He noted that both cities have strong economic and tourism links with Sarawak, and establishing direct connections would significantly enhance business exchanges, investment flows, and people-to-people ties.

Dato Sri Lee also encouraged 9Air to evaluate the feasibility of launching direct flights to Miri. He highlighted Miri’s position as the Northern Gateway to Sarawak and neighbouring Brunei, as well as its geographical proximity to Guangzhou and Shenzhen, with a flight time of just over three hours. He further highlighted that Miri is experiencing strong growth, including the proposed establishment of the Shangai Fudan University branch campus and the Integrative Medical Research iInstitute, which are expected to stimulate academic, commercial, and international travel activities. Together with its coastal appeal and the growing demand among local business communities to travel to Guangzhou, Miri stands out as a promising potential destination for future 9Air services.

Dato Sri Lee added that Sarawak is poised to welcome several additional charter flights from China next month, marking a positive trend of increasing interest from the Chinese market.

He expressed hope that this momentum will lead to more direct routes connecting Sarawak with additional cities across China in the near future.

Dato Sri Lee also recalled his engagement last year with Mr. Wang Junjin, Chairman of Shanghai Juneyao Group, the parent company of 9Air. During the meeting, both parties explored the potential for establishing direct routes between Sarawak and China. Mr. Wang had suggested beginning with charter flights to build market confidence before progressing to full scheduled services — a strategy now taking shape with the launch of the Haikou–Kuching route.

During the engagement, Mr. Cai Xing shared an overview of 9Air’s fleet, performance, and network strategy. He explained that 9Air forms a key component of the Juneyao Group’s aviation division, operating under a dual-brand and dual-hub framework alongside Juneyao Air. The airline currently operates 27 aircraft under a low-cost model and maintains high domestic load factors, with its 189-seat configuration averaging around 90 percent overall and exceeding 95 percent on flights departing from Guangzhou. Guangzhou remains 9Air’s primary hub, supported by secondary bases in Haikou and Guiyang. Internationally, the airline operates routes across Southeast Asia, Japan, and South Korea, including its existing Guiyang–Kuala Lumpur service, while a Guangzhou–Kuala Lumpur route is under evaluation.

Mr. Cai added that the Haikou–Kuching scheduled charter flights will help the airline assess market structure, passenger demand, and operational viability, forming the basis for planning potential scheduled direct routes in the future. He acknowledged the strong prospects for direct Guangzhou–Kuching services and confirmed that the airline is open to exploring the feasibility of launching direct Shenzhen–Miri or Guangzhou–Miri routes, in line with market demand and Sarawak’s development trajectory.

The launch of the Haikou–Kuching service comes at a time of rising travel demand between China and Malaysia, further strengthened by the mutual visa-exemption policy introduced in July 2025. The enhanced air connectivity is expected to increase tourism flows, boost business activities, and promote greater cultural and educational exchanges between the two regions.

In addition to the Kuching service, 9Air will launch the Haikou–Penang route on 18 November 2025, also operating on a bi-weekly rotating schedule. With this expansion, 9Air will serve three Malaysian cities, underscoring the airline’s commitment to strengthening regional connectivity and supporting the growth of China’s outbound tourism and civil aviation sector.

Also present at the welcoming ceremony were Mr. Zhou Pu, Contract Manager of 9Air, Mr. Musdalifa Abdullah, Chief Executive Officer of GTR (Ground Team Red), and Mr. Sio Yew Hua, Aviation Technical Advisor to the Ministry.