A flight of Malindo Air landed at Zhangjiajie Hehua International Airport at 22:49 on March 14. Its arrival marked the inauguration of the direct air route linking Hunan's Zhangjiajie and Kota Kinabalu of Malaysia.
This is the 11th international air route of Zhangjiajie airport, following previous routes to Vietnam, Thailand, and South Korea, among others. It offers a new access for inbound travelers to fairyland Zhangjiajie.
The Zhangjiajie-Kota Kinabalu direct air route opens. (Photo provided by the Hunan General Station of Exit and Entry Frontier Inspection)
The inaugural flight carried 146 inbound travelers, 97% of whom came from Malaysia. The Zhangjiajie Exit and Entry Frontier Inspection Station conducted prior inspections and arranged additional customs officers to ensure professional and high-efficiency services. All the entry procedures of all passengers and the flight crew were completed in only half an hour.
Zhangjiajie airport now operates air routes to multiple international destinations, including Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi of Vietnam, Kuala Lumpur, Penang and Kota Kinabalu of Malaysia, Bangkok of Thailand, Jakarta of Indonesia, and Inchon, Busan, Daegu, and Cheongju of South Korea. The number of flights exceeds 21.
As of March 14, Zhangjiajie airport has handled more than 350 international flights and 54,000 inbound and outbound passenger trips, increasing by 1.4% and 10% over the same period of last year respectively. About 96% of the inbound and outbound travelers were foreigners.
