Johor is expected to continue to be the air“gateway” to the northern states in the Peninsula, including Penang, just like it was before the Covid-19 pandemic hit the country in 2020.

Starting April, with three flights per day, Firefly expects to receive as many as 1.8 million passengers using the service until the end of this year, including tourists from neighbouring countries, Firefly Airlines Chief Executive Officer Philip See Yew Jin said.

He said flights between Senai International Airport, Johor and Penang International Airport had to be stopped last year due to Covid-19 and to restore this exciting route, a strategic plan has been drawn up by Firefly and the Malaysian Association for Tour and Travel Agents (MATTA) Penang and Johor.

“To begin with, we have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the three parties, where various activities and interesting campaigns will be planned to promote tourism products in both states.

“FireFly has been informed by MATTA Penang and Johor, where they will also work with Penang Global Tourism and Tourism Johor to list interesting places for tourists.

“In addition to travelling from Penang to Johor Bahru using Boeing 737-800 jets, starting April, Firefly has also launched other flights such as to Langkawi, Kuching and Kota Kinabalu; and in August, will launch flights to Phuket, Thailand,” he said at a press conference in Wembley-St Giles Hotel, Penang on Saturday (July 30), after the MOU signing by FireFly and MATTA Penang and MATTA Johor.

MATTA Penang was represented by its Chairman Vergis Matthew, while MATTA Johor was represented by Deputy Chairman Kathryn Lee Hwee Ching.

As a start of the promotion, tourists will get special offers when they use the services of travel agents registered with MATTA in Johor and Penang, See said.

“The offer package includes airfare, hotel accommodation and breakfast at RM599 for two people and it is valid until July 27, 2023, in addition to several other offers that will be provided by the MATTA travel agent.

“We entered into this MoU and offer because we believe that the domestic tourism sector is now recovering after the pandemic. [We] also plan to enter into several more agreements with MATTA to promote domestic tourism,” he said.