Dali opens int’l direct air route to Kuala Lumpur

119 passengers got through customs at the Dali Fengyi Airport and boarded flight 8L843 to the Malaysian city Kuala Lumpur on January 10, marking the opening of the Dali-Kuala Lumpur air route.

Passengers queue up for boarding.

As the first international direct air route starting from west Yunnan’s Dali Bai autonomus prefecture, it will see flights operated twice weekly, on Mondays and Fridays.

With this air route, the travel time between Dali and Kuala Lumpur will be shortened from over 10 hours to just 3.5 hours.

 

A passenger holds a commemorative ticket for a photo at the maiden flight.

"We got the news about the upcoming launch of the Dali-Kuala Lumpur air route, so we booked our tickets. The customs procedures are optimized, and the traveling experience is easy," said Ms. Yang, a passenger on the flight.

Zhang Nianmin, manager of a Dali-based international travel service, said, "This route has spared tourists the transfers via Kunming airport, saving them time and making the journey much easier. It’s also conducive to Dali's international tourist service and cultural exchanges."

 

A Bai ethnic dance is performed for the first passengers.

 

Passengers line up to go through customs.

Dali plans to launch more international air routes to Thai city Bangkok, Vietnamese city Ho Chi Minh, and other destinations in the near future.

Reporting by Chang Yuan