CAL flies to Penang, Medan

CAL flies to Penang, Medan

TAIPEI (AFP): Taiwan's China Airlines (CAL) on Sunday inaugurated new flight routes to Malaysia and Indonesia to meet the growing tourist demand.

The new Taipei-Penang-Medan service will have five flights a week using Boeing 737-800 passenger aircraft.

The CAL has been operating five cargo flights per week to Penang, Malaysia since 1995.

"The big traffic increase reflects the growing opportunities of Malaysian and Indonesian markets in terms of trade and travel," CAL President Christine Tsung said at the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new flight service.

She said some 170,000 Taiwanese traveled to Indonesia annually over the past five years, and the number is forecast to surge by 40 percent this year to 250,000 this year.

The number of Taiwanese traveling to Malaysia is expected to top 310,000 this year, up from the average of 240,000 over the past five years.