On 9 May 2025, a meeting was held at Dewan Bunga Raya, Menara MITI, with key tourism and aviation representatives from Johor Bahru, including Senai Airport Terminal Services Sdn Bhd (Senai International Airport). The session, chaired by Datuk Hanafi Sakri, Deputy Secretary-General (Industry) of the Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry (MITI), focused on strengthening collaboration with Chinese Airlines to enhance air transportation and logistics connectivity in Malaysia.
Johor State Tourism was represented by YB Raven Kumar Krishnasamy, EXCO Johor, Chairman of the Tourism, Environment, Heritage and Culture Committee, and Wan Suziana Wan Othman, Special Officer of the MB’s Office, while Senai International Airport was represented by Noor Safura Suib, General Manager of the Commercial Division; Hazam Shahrin Hasan, Senior Manager of Corporate Services; and Nur Dayana Ibrahim, Manager of Business Development (Aero). Also present was Azmi Abdullah, Senior Deputy Director for the International Promotion Division from the Ministry of Tourism, Arts & Culture Malaysia. The Chinese airline representatives included Sichuan Airlines, Xiamen Air, China Southern Airlines, China Eastern Airlines, Qingdao Airlines and Loong Air. POS Aviation was also present, primarily focusing on cargo operations, thereby covering the full spectrum from commercial passenger flights to cargo services.
Datuk Hanafi opened the meeting by highlighting the strategic significance of Johor Bahru in the context of the Malaysia-China Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for tourism and trade. Following the successful visit of President Xi Jinping, MITI underscored Johor Bahru’s potential to become a key southern logistics hub under the Belt and Road Initiative. In this framework, Chinese airlines are seen as pivotal in strengthening connectivity between Malaysia and China.
A major point of discussion was the development and promotion of tourism packages linking Johor Bahru, Singapore, and Melaka. These packages aim to attract Chinese tourists while enhancing trade relations. As part of these initiatives, Senai International Airport was given the opportunity to present, aimed at attracting Chinese airlines to establish direct connectivity from various parts of China to Johor Bahru. MITI also emphasised that by increasing direct flight connections and enhancing air connectivity to secondary cities such as Johor Bahru could attract more Chinese airlines.
The next step will involve organising an airport visit and familiarisation trip for Chinese airline representatives, marking an exciting development for Johor Bahru as a leading transportation and logistics hub in the region.
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