IPOH, Jan 1: Any decision to resume the Ipoh-Langkawi flight route from the Sultan Azlan Shah Airport (LTSAS) here lies entirely with Air Asia, the Perak government said today.
State Tourism, Industry, Investment and Corridor Development Committee chairman Loh Sze Yee said based on reports, several matters need to be resolved before the service is resumed.
“There are many factors including demand, ticket prices, the existing aircraft stock, time constraints, routes, and so on. Therefore, further clarification needs to be referred to the airline to make an announcement,” he said.
Loh was speaking to reporters welcoming the arrival of the first batch of tourists at LTSAS in conjunction with Visit Perak Year 2024 (TMP2024), which was launched last night.
On Sept 25, Loh said the Ipoh-Langkawi flight route had not been terminated but merely temporarily suspended.
Meanwhile, Loh said the state government is still awaiting a decision from the federal government to designate LTSAS here as a regional flight hub.
“The proposal (LSAS as a regional flight hub) is intended to help resolve issues faced by other airports nearing capacity, for example, the nearby airports can focus on flights to the United States, the Middle East or Europe,” he said.
On Nov 22, Loh said Perak plans to make LTSAS Ipoh a regional flight hub because the airport’s runway is only suitable for the Airbus 320-type aircraft with three to five-hour flights.
He said the state government has proposed to Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB) for the implementation of a regional flight hub that will focus on flights within ASEAN only.
— BERNAMA