KUALA LUMPUR (Dec 20): Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd said Batik Air started direct flights from Indonesia's Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Jakarta to Malaysia's Kota Kinabalu International Airport on a twice-a-week basis to expand the airline's international network.

Malaysia Airports said this in a statement today in conjunction with Batik's inaugural Jakarta-Kota Kinabalu flight today. Malaysia Airports managing director Datuk Badlisham Ghazali said in the statement the new flight route would benefit both countries well.

"Based on our records, total passenger traffic movements in Kota Kinabalu International Airport has experienced good growth registering 7.3 million (passengers) from January to November 2017, increasing by 11.2% over the same period last year. In fact, international passenger traffic movements [have] seen even more robust growth. During the same period, Kota Kinabalu International Airport registered 2.3 million international passenger traffic movements, an increase of 22.1% from last year.

"This new route introduced by Batik Air is timely for its passengers from Indonesia to enjoy Sabah at its best," Badlisham said.