Malindo Air To Start Dhaka-KL flight On Aug 28

Malindo Air, an airline based in Malaysia, is set to introduce daily flights on the Kuala Lumpur-Dhaka route next month, as part of its international expansion plans.

“Thanks to our new flight, people from Bangladesh now have more choice when it comes to travelling to Malaysia,” Chandran Rama Muthy, chief executive officer of Malindo Air, said at media briefing in Dhaka yesterday.

“Our service will be globally competitive in service and value,” he said, adding that Malindo Air has set the ticket price for a round trip at Tk 21,000, including all tax.

The baggage allowance on an economy-class flight is 25 kg and 40 kg on the business class. Every passenger seat in Malindo Air’s Boeing 737-90ER flights comes with an in-flight entertainment system that includes a personal TV.

“We want our customers to travel in comfort. Our brand new fleet of the Boeing 737-900ER aircraft offers extra legroom and comfort.”

The airline hopes to effectively cater to the country’s emerging middle-income class who want to travel “to see and experience the world”, he said.

The number passengers travelling to Malaysia have been fast increasing. Last year, some 80,000 Bangladeshis visited Malaysia, he said. Malindo Air is a Malaysian hybrid airline based at Kuala Lumpur International Airport. Commencing operations on 22 March 2013, it is the first airline to operate the brand new Boeing 737-900ER in Malaysia.

Malindo Air’s parent company is Lion Group, the largest airline in Indonesia with market share of 54 percent.

The airline’s immediate expansion plan includes flights from Kuala Lumpur to Bali, Jakarta, Medan and the island of Batam in Indonesia.

Biman Bangladesh Airlines, United Airways, Malaysia Airlines and Regent Air now operate five daily flights on this route, said Faruk Khan, Civil and Tourism Minister.

“And the Malindo Air will be the new one. This shows a huge economic and business potential in the country.”

Around 7 lakh Bangladeshi now live in Malaysia, he said.
“Besides, business activities between Bangladesh and Malaysia are gradually growing over the last couple of years.”

The minister also called upon the airline to introduce Chittagong-Kuala Lumpur route and recruit cabin crew from Bangladesh.