KULAI: A historic milestone has been recorded at Senai International Airport following the departure of the first chartered flight from Johor to Bhutan.
Malaysian Chinese Tourism Association (MCTA) Johor chapter chairman Edwin Tay Kian Chuan described this as a positive development for Johor’s tourism industry.
“We hope to see more airlines operating direct flights from Johor in the future.
“We also hope to see more inbound flights from other countries, such as China, Taiwan and Japan, into Johor.
“This is also timely with the upcoming Visit Johor and Visit Malaysia 2026 tourism campaigns,” he said after witnessing the departure of the Bhutan Airlines flight.
The flight, carrying 126 passengers, took off at 1.30am yesterday.
He said charter services are an important way to explore emerging tourism markets and enhance the regional aviation network.
“We have also sent a delegation to Bhutan for a tourism familiarisation visit on the same day.
“The visit is aimed at promoting tourism development in both destinations and achieving mutual benefits through deepened bilateral cooperation,” he said.
Tay said the flight from Johor to Bhutan, a country often referred to as the “Kingdom of Happiness”, takes about four hours.
He added that more chartered flights are also expected to be offered from Senai International Airport in May.
“This allows passengers to travel to Bhutan directly without having to transit through other international airports, which can be time-consuming and complicated.”
