The state government will consider the proposition to resume flights from Ipoh to Medan in the near future after the service was terminated a year ago.
Menteri Besar, Dato’ Seri DiRaja Dr Zambry Abd Kadir said that he had discussed with the Indonesian government via Governor of North Sumatra, H. Tengku Erry Nuradi regarding the matter in an effort to attract more tourists from Medan in conjunction with Visit Perak Year 2017.
With the upcoming opening of the Movie Animation Park Studios (MAPS) in June 26, he is confident that the flight between the two destinations will resume.
“So far, we can see that Tengku Erry’s side is committed and if all parties agree, the service will be on soon. The flight between the two cities was available before, it’s just that we need to find ways to ensure that the service has sufficient passengers each trip,” he stated.
He was quoted following the launching of the Perak, Medan and Jakarta Tourism Marketing Mission at Grand Aston City Hall Hotel in Medan, Indonesia on Monday, May 8.
Present at the launch were Dato’ Nolee Ashilin Mohammed Radzi, the Executive Councillor for Tourism, Arts, Culture, Multimedia and Communications, Datuk Zainol Fadzi Paharudin, the Executive Councillor for Public Utilities, Infrastructure, Energy and Water, Datuk Mohammad Zahir Abdul Khalid, the Executive Councillor for Industry, Investment and Corridor Development and Datuk Seri Abdul Puhat Mat Nayan, the state secretary.
The mission witnessed the participation of 25 tourism industrial players from Perak namely, MAPS, Lost World of Tambun, Zoo Taiping & Night Safari, Tempurung Cave and Kellie’s Castle.
According to Zambry, besides involving the Indonesian government, the discussion was also held with airlines from both countries.
The shuttle flight between the two cities had to be cancelled previously because there were few passengers flying from Medan to Ipoh.
“The situation created problems for the airlines as they needed sufficient passenger load to make their venture profitable. This is possible if there is enough passengers both ways,” he added.
Rosli Mansor
