Firefly is flying to Banda Aceh from the Penang International Airport (PIA) thus spreading its wings to Indonesia wef Monday, November 7, 2022.
Using their Boeing 737-800 jets, flight FY3510 departed from PIA at 10.50am and landed at 11.10am at Sultan Iskandar Muda International Airport (BTJ).
A welcoming ceremony event was held at BTJ with the presence of Global Head of Sales of Malaysia Aviation Group (MAG), Roslan Ismail and the Firefly management team were amongst the passengers who joined the inaugural flight.
The airline will operate twice weekly services to BTJ from PEN and vice versa, flying on Monday and Friday via FY3510 and FY3511. The service will gradually increase the frequency to four times weekly from December 2022.
Firefly previously operated the route using the ATR 72-500 aircraft before the pandemic.
“As part of the network expansion strategy across ASEAN, it is significant for us to recommence Penang and Banda Aceh route, which we expect to see a high influx of medical and leisure travelers. We seek to bring convenience for the people of Banda Aceh to Penang, and vice versa, as it will be easier for them to visit their family and friends, seek medical treatment from established medical centres, explore the local culture and heritage of Penang and to enable students to enroll at internationally recognized Malaysian universities and colleges. In addition, this will boost our presence in the Indonesian market, supporting Malaysia Airlines, which has been flying to several destinations in Indonesia, such as Jakarta, Bali, Surabaya and recently to Yogyakarta.” Chief Executive Officer of Firefly, Philip See said,
Medical tourism in Penang showed that healthcare industry raised about RM500 million in revenue, according to the Malaysia Healthcare Travel Council (MHTC) data.
Whereas Banda Aceh, previously known as Bandar Aceh Darussalam Kandan, has a strong influence on spiritual culture and is rich with beautiful islands, fresh coffee, and stunning view of its natural landscape. It is also a strategic location for transportation due to its location at the westernmost point of the Indonesian archipelago. Head of Tourism and Culture Aceh, Almunizar Kamal added he was interested in the reopening of Aceh flight route through Firefly on Monday, 07 November 2022.
Moreover, the people of Aceh have been waiting for this for so long. Aceh, which is in northwest Indonesia, is famous for its attractive beach tourism, historical tourist buildings and of course, culinary specialty, coffee. This will be a high attraction for tourists to visit. We believe this route can help to drive the growth of tourism from both Aceh and Penang.
The welcoming of the Firefly flight at the Airport Sultan Iskandar Muda included the traditional dance performance and distributing souvenirs to the passengers.
“Indonesian tourists have always been on the top list of arrival for Penang Airport due to the most direct flights available weekly, with at least 76 flights per week.
More direct flights like Firefly to Penang will help increase the number of Indonesian tourists between Penang to Banda Aceh and vice versa. There are many more to explore in Penang, and we are delighted to welcome them to experience Penang. Penang, which is well known as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is recommended for everyone with several highlights such as food & lifestyle, culture & heritage, and nature & adventure.” said Ooi Chok Yan, CEO of Penang Global Tourism (PGT).
To commemorate the launch, Firefly is offering a special fare from RM199 for one-way from PEN to BTJ. Customers flying on the Boeing 737-800 jets can save more with Firefly with the value bundle package from Plus, Extra or Flex. All value bundle packages come with a 20 KG checked baggage allowance, in-flight hot meals, two times flight changes, Enrich points, priority baggage, boarding & check-in, all seat selection, travel insurance and many more.