MALAYSIA
Airlines is planning a series of FAM trips to promote its new direct routes to
Langkawi and Penang from Heathrow. The airline will run two to three FAMs a
month for six months following the launch on October 19 and has also offered
special deals to around 15 tour operators, including Kuoni and Thomas Cook, to
kickstart the routes.
Regional
manager UK and Europe Sharifuddin Bapu said the carrier was keen to promote the
destinations as rivals to the Maldives.
He
said: “We have been getting a lot of pressure from the trade to launch
these. Both the airline and Tourism Malaysia have invested a lot in promoting
the destinations over the past 12 months and we are ready for expansion.”
The
carrier will offer two weekly flights to each destination, with the aircraft
carrying on to Kuala Lumpur.