KOTA KINABALU: Sabah welcomed its first direct flight from Chongqing on Thursday (March 19), with the arrival of Chongqing Airlines’ inaugural service from the city in south-western China. Chongqing Airlines is a subsidiary of China Southern Airlines. Present to welcome the flight were STB chief executive officer Julinus Jeffery Jimit, Tourism Malaysia Sabah director Haryanty Abu Bakar, and China Southern Airlines Kuala Lumpur Office general manager Guo Hao. "The opening of the route... provides a new channel for Chongqing residents to travel to South-East Asia for tourism, business and cultural exchanges," Guo Hao said. With the Chongqing route, Sabah is now connected to eight key cities in China, the others being Hong Kong, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Shanghai, Beijing, Hangzhou and Fuzhou.

Source: The Star March 20, 2026 14:47 UTC