エアアジアX、クアラルンプール~台北・桃園~那覇の定期便就航。セレモニーに沖縄県の玉城知事も出席 – トラベル Watch
Malaysia-based AirAsia X launched scheduled flights from Kuala Lumpur to Taipei (Taoyuan) to Naha on Wednesday, January 22. A commemorative ceremony was held at the Naha Airport International Arrival Hall to coincide with the arrival of the first flight at Naha Airport.
The inaugural flight schedule is as follows. The aircraft used is an Airbus A330 with a total of 377 seats, including 12 premium lie-flat seats and 365 standard seats.
D7 384 then: Kuala Lumpur (07:35) – Taipei/Taoyuan (12:20) / (13:20) – Naha (16:00) Operates on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday
D7 385 then: Naha (17:50) – Taipei/Taoyuan (18:30)/(21:20) – Kuala Lumpur (02:20) operates Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday
The maiden flight of D7 384, which started operation on January 22, took off from Kuala Lumpur at 7:35 and arrived at Naha Airport at 16:10, passing through Taoyuan (Taipei), about 10 minutes later than the original schedule. With 339 passengers in 377 seats, it’s off to a good start.
A special stage was set up in the arrival hall and the commemorative ceremony began. AirAsia X Chairman Tan Sri Rafidah Aziz, AirAsia X Director Dato’ Fan Liyi, AirAsia X CEO Benjamin Ismail, Deputy Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture of Malaysia Mr. Malaysia made a special trip to Japan. Okinawa Prefecture Governor Tamaki Dennis and OCVB (Okinawa Convention and Visitors Bureau) Executive Director Umejima Norihiro attended.
Governor Tamaki took the lead to deliver a speech. “I am very pleased with this service. The second runway at Naha Airport will finally open in March and we will be able to serve more overseas customers. Customers from Europe will be able to visit Okinawa via Malaysia, while those from Customers from Japan will be able to travel to Malaysia via Okinawa, and we hope that everyone will come into contact with Okinawa’s beautiful natural scenery, unique performing arts and culture, and share the charm of Okinawa with the world.”
Afterwards, Mr. Tan Sri Rafidah Aziz, Chairman of AirAsia X, took the stage to deliver a speech. “AirAsia X Group has received 4,590,965 passengers since the opening of Japan routes until December 2019. In 2019, 1,290,000 Japanese customers using AirAsia X visited Japan, and more than 390,000 people visited Japan from Malaysia. This figure is expected. With the addition of new destinations, the AirAsia X Group currently has 35 destinations and a total of 282 aircraft in the group, which can now connect Okinawa with the ASEAN region, the Asia-Pacific region, and the United States.
This year, we will hold “Visit Malaysia 2020″ and plan various events and events in Malaysia. I hope that many clients visit Malaysia to experience and experience the rich nature and diverse culture, and see it as an international market, including business opportunities. ”
Mr. Mohammad Bhaktia bin Wangzhi, Deputy Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture of Malaysia, delivered a speech as a guest. “Malaysia and Japan have historically had a long history of trade and cultural exchanges. So Japan has a lot in common with the Malay Peninsula and Southeast Asia. I’m interested in the identity of Okinawa before it became part of Japan Ryukyu, I want to deepen my knowledge during this stay.
Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir visited Okinawa a few days ago, experienced the unique charm of Okinawa, and left good memories. The Prime Minister has lived to be 94 years old, which is a symbol of health, but many people in Okinawa are over 100 years old, and it is one of the top 5 healthy places in the world. Through this service, we will be able to build a deeper relationship between Japan and Malaysia. ”
In the ensuing souvenir exchange, Okinawa Prefecture presented AirAsia X with a plate in the shape of a red type, while AirAsia X presented model aircraft to Okinawa Prefecture, the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture of Malaysia, and OCVB.
Afterwards, all the attendees cut the ribbon with red ribbons bearing the AirAsia X logo.
After the ceremony, it was time for interviews. Asked when planning and preparations for the Naha route would start, AirAsia X CEO Benjamin Ismail said: “The plan was brought up about a year ago. We have been in close contact with OCVB. Malaysia. We Having a close relationship with Japan, we had high hopes for our company, so we were able to move forward quickly. The support from JNTO (Japan National Tourism Organization) was also great.”
“I am delighted to be able to start the service in a good year, 2020,” said Tan Sri Mr Rafidah Aziz, delivering a message to the people of Okinawa in Malay.
The message is “Selamat Datang ke Malaysia”. It means “Welcome to Malaysia” in Malay.