THE Tourism Ministry has secured the approval from France for Malaysia Airlines to restart direct flights from Kuala Lumpur to Paris, Tourism Minister Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing said.
The tentative date for this direct route will be in March next year, he said.
"We have secured the necessary approval to restart MAS direct flights from KLIA to Paris.
"This direct flight to Paris is an important route in our quest to get more European tourists to visit Malaysia," he said in a press statement.
Tiong said he secured the deal while attending the World Tourism Forum in Paris last week.
Tiong is Bintulu MP and president of Progressive Democratic Party in Sarawak.
He also said his ministry had arranged links with travel agencies in France to promote Malaysia.
These travel agencies have connections with some 3,500 travel agents in Europe, he said.
On Oct 3, Tiong announced his ministry had managed to secure deals with international airlines and AirAsia to open up numerous new direct flights from overseas into major destinations in Malaysia.
The pioneering flights will include Kenya-KLIA2, Singapore-Malacca, Ho Chi Minh City-Kota Kinabalu, Singapore-Subang, Shenzhen-Penang, Lucknow in India-KLIA, and others and also the return of British Airways from London to KLIA.
Tiong said these new international flights will be operating before the end of the year.
He said AirAsia will also be operating new flights from several more cities in China, India and Indonesia into the key Malaysian airports.
"There will be 20 new routes that will be opened up in the coming months.
"The Kenya-KLIA2 will be the first direct flight route from Africa to Malaysia.
"The British Airways London-KLIA-London route is being reinstated after 11 years.
"These new developments are expected to bring in more tourists to Malaysia," he said.
He said there will be more new air links with Asean and Asian countries, Europe, Africa and Middle East countries. - October 7, 20
