Initiatives are now being made to establish a direct chartered flight from Johor Baru to Taichung, one of the biggest cities in Taiwan.
Johor chapter head of the Malaysian Chinese Tourism Association (MCTA) Edwin Tay stated that he would be leading a delegation to Taiwan in the near future to negotiate with the Taichung city government and other related agencies regarding the plan.
“If this is made into a proposal, the Senai International Airport direct charter flight will definitely benefit the Visit Johor 2026 effort,” Tay stated. “This route has been discussed for some time, and we hope that it can be launched by October.”
Tay also added that he would be making a formal offer to Tourism Johor to seek support for the project. He also noted that the matter was brought to state unity, culture and heritage committee chairman K. Raven Kumar during the recent Malaysia International Travel Mart fair by MCTA.
Abe Chou, director of the Taiwan Tourism Administration’s Kuala Lumpur office, who was present at the fair, pointed to growing demands for direct flights. “Last year, 460,000 Malaysian tourists visited Taiwan. During the same quarter, 380,000 Taiwanese tourists visited Malaysia, a 30% rise from last year,” he said.
Chou was hopeful that his ministry could collaborate with local travel agencies to realize the Johor Baru-Taichung direct charter flight.
Contacted for comment, Raven Kumar stated that the state government would consider the proposal once it was submitted by the association.
