Malaysia’s newest carrier SKS Airways launched its maiden flight on January 25, 2022, taking off from Subang Airport near Kuala Lumpur to Pangkor, a tax-free island in northern Malaysia. It is the first carrier to fly to the island.
SKS Airways will also fly to Redang island, a popular scuba diving haven in the northeastern region, and Tioman island in the south using a 19-seater Twin Otter turboprop aircraft. Currently, there are no commercial flights to the islands.
INAUGURAL FLIGHT SKS AIRWAYS | 25JAN2022 | PANGKOR AIRPORT
Flt KI357 departed fm Subang Airport at 1315 hrs headed to Pulau Pangkor. Delegation led by Dato’ Rohman Ahmad, Director SKS Airways was greeted by YAB Dato’ Seri Saarani bin Mohamad, Chief Minister of Perak & entourage. pic.twitter.com/VVhTQyYVBj— SKS Airways (@sksairways) January 25, 2022
The maiden flight took place on January 25, 2022. Flight KI 357 departed Subang’s Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport at 13:15 and touched down at Pulau Pangkor at 14:00. The new airline operated the route via a De Havilland DHC-6 Twin Otter series 300 turboprop aircraft.
“As a new set-up, we are nimble, agile, flexible, and able to tap into any opportunities that arise. We are positioning ourselves to capitalize on the current pent-up demand for domestic travel,” SKS Airways director Rohman Ahmad said to local media at the launch event.
SKS Airways is owned by the SKS Group, a real estate company based in the southern state of Johor. The airline said its operations will initially focus on the island and coastal resorts with connections to major cities within peninsular Malaysia. It plans to eventually connect Malaysia and beyond to Southeast Asian destinations and southern China.
