Budget carrier ZIPAIR launches direct Narita-KL flights with Boeing 787 Dreamliners

ZIPAIR, a budget carrier and subsidiary of Japan Airlines, has commenced a daily direct service between Tokyo Narita and Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA), contributing over 2,000 weekly seats to Malaysia's aviation capacity.

The inaugural flight received a welcoming reception at KLIA, attended by notable officials from both countries.

This new route aims to enhance tourism and economic ties, ahead of Malaysia's Visit Malaysia 2026-2027 campaign, by attracting niche segments including long-term residents, students, and eco-tourists from Japan.

Japan consistently ranks as a key inbound market for Malaysia, with recent tourist arrivals showing a year-on-year increase.

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 21 — Japanese budget carrier ZIPAIR has touched down at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA), inaugurating a daily direct service from Tokyo Narita that injects over 2,000 weekly seats into Malaysia’s aviation corridors ahead of the Visit Malaysia 2026-2027 campaign.

The low-cost subsidiary of Japan Airlines completed its inaugural run, flight ZG61, late Tuesday evening. The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner departed Narita International Airport at 4.50pm and docked at KLIA Terminal 1 at 11.40pm, marking the carrier’s entry into the Malaysian market.

Operating wide-body Boeing 787-8 aircraft configured with 290 seats, including 18 lie-flat business suites and 272 standard economy seats, the daily service adds 2,030 seats every week between Tokyo and Kuala Lumpur.

A welcoming reception at KLIA Terminal 1 brought together Tourism Malaysia director-general Mohd Amirul Rizal Abdul Rahim, Japan’s Ambassador to Malaysia Noriyuki Shikata, ZIPAIR chairman Hiroo Iwakoshi, and Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad senior general manager for passenger experience Abd Hasman Abd Muhimin.

Mohd Amirul Rizal hailed the route as a testament to the “strong and enduring partnership” between both nations.

“Improved air connectivity is an important enabler of tourism growth, and this new route strengthens our efforts to attract more Japanese travellers as we advance Visit Malaysia 2026-2027,” he said.

Tourism Malaysia aims to leverage the direct link to court higher-yield niche segments from Japan, moving beyond traditional sightseeing packages. The agency is targeting prospective long-term residents through the revamped Malaysia My Second Home (MM2H) scheme, student exchanges under the Edu+ 2.0 educational travel initiative, and eco-conscious holidaymakers drawn to Peninsular and Bornean rainforest biodiversity.

Japan remains one of Malaysia’s most resilient East Asian inbound markets. Between January and August 2026, Malaysia recorded 283,132 tourist arrivals from Japan, registering a 4.0 per cent expansion compared to 272,130 visitors during the corresponding period last year.

Prior to ZIPAIR’s arrival, scheduled air links between the two countries stood at 84 weekly frequencies offering 23,682 passenger seats.

Tourism authorities expect the budget carrier’s competitive fare pricing to stimulate two-way leisure and student traffic, providing fresh momentum to outbound Japanese travel demand across the greater Tokyo metropolitan area as Malaysia gears up for its nationwide tourism campaign.

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日本航空旗下的廉价航空公司 ZIPAIR 已开通东京成田机场与吉隆坡国际机场 (KLIA) 之间的每日直飞航班，每周为马来西亚航空运力贡献 2000 多个座位。

首航航班抵达吉隆坡国际机场后受到热烈欢迎，两国多位重要官员出席了欢迎仪式。

在马来西亚“2026-2027马来西亚旅游年”活动之前，这条新航线旨在通过吸引包括长期居民、学生和来自日本的生态旅游者在内的细分市场，加强旅游和经济联系。

日本一直是马来西亚重要的入境市场，近年来赴日游客人数逐年增长。

吉隆坡，10 月 21 日——日本廉价航空公司 ZIPAIR 已抵达吉隆坡国际机场 (KLIA)，开通了从东京成田机场直飞吉隆坡的每日航班，在“2026-2027 马来西亚旅游年”活动之前，每周为马来西亚的航空走廊增加 2000 多个座位。

日本航空旗下低成本子公司于周二晚间完成了首航，航班号为ZG61。这架波音787-8梦想客机于下午4点50分从成田国际机场起飞，并于晚上11点40分抵达吉隆坡国际机场1号航站楼，标志着该航空公司正式进军马来西亚市场。

该航线采用波音 787-8 宽体客机，配置 290 个座位，包括 18 个可平躺的商务套房和 272 个标准经济舱座位，每日航班每周在东京和吉隆坡之间增加 2030 个座位。

吉隆坡国际机场 1 号航站楼举行的欢迎招待会汇聚了马来西亚旅游局局长 Mohd Amirul Rizal Abdul Rahim、日本驻马来西亚大使 Noriyuki Shikata、ZIPAIR 主席 Hiroo Iwakoshi 以及马来西亚机场控股有限公司乘客体验高级总经理 Abd Hasman Abd Muhimin。

莫哈末·阿米鲁·里扎尔称赞这条路线证明了两国之间“牢固而持久的伙伴关系”。

“改善航空连通性是促进旅游业增长的重要因素，这条新航线将加强我们吸引更多日本游客的努力，助力我们推进‘2026-2027马来西亚旅游年’，”他说道。

马来西亚旅游局旨在利用与日本的直接联系，吸引来自日本的高价值细分市场，超越传统的观光旅游套餐。该机构正通过升级后的“马来西亚我的第二家园”（MM2H）计划吸引潜在的长期居民，通过“Edu+ 2.0”教育旅行计划吸引学生交流项目，并吸引那些被马来西亚半岛和婆罗洲雨林生物多样性所吸引的环保度假者。

日本仍然是马来西亚最具韧性的东亚入境市场之一。2026年1月至8月，马来西亚接待了283,132名日本游客，与去年同期272,130名游客相比增长了4.0%。

在 ZIPAIR 航空到来之前，两国之间的定期航班每周有 84 个班次，提供 23,682 个乘客座位。

旅游部门预计，这家廉价航空公司的优惠票价将刺激双向休闲和学生客流，为大东京地区的日本出境旅游需求注入新的动力，而马来西亚也正积极筹备其全国性的旅游推广活动。

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