Kuching International Airport rolled out a water-cannon salute at dawn on 16 November as flight AQ1295 from Haikou touched down, marking 9Air’s inaugural scheduled charter linking China’s Hainan Free-Trade Port with Sarawak’s capital. The Boeing 737-800 carried 168 passengers—mostly leisure groups and small-enterprise traders—on the five-hour hop. The service operates on a rotating Tuesday/Saturday and Thursday pattern, effectively providing two frequencies per week.
Sarawak Transport Minister Dato Sri Lee Kim Shin welcomed the delegation and urged 9Air to fast-track plans for regular scheduled services from Guangzhou and Shenzhen. Those routes would plug Sarawak directly into China’s Greater Bay Area, home to more than 80 million consumers and advanced-manufacturing supply chains, and would bolster investor access to the state’s US $27-billion hydrogen and data-centre projects.
![Low-Cost Carrier 9Air Lands First Haikou–Kuching Charter, Signalling Broader China–Malaysia Connectivity]()
For Chinese outbound operators, Kuching offers a quieter gateway to Borneo’s eco-tourism corridor and the Malaysia My Second Home (MM2H) long-stay visa programme, which has seen a surge of applications from mid-income families in Guangdong and Hainan. Conversely, Sarawak companies importing industrial parts and electronic components from southern China can now shorten delivery times by 48 hours and avoid trans-shipments in Kuala Lumpur or Singapore.
9Air—a Guangzhou-based low-cost subsidiary of Juneyao Airlines—says its average load factor hovers near 90 percent. The airline will use the Haikou-Kuching route as a proving ground before applying for scheduled traffic rights under the China–Malaysia liberalised air-services agreement that takes effect in January 2026. The carrier is also evaluating Haikou–Penang charters starting 18 November as part of a broader push into Southeast Asia’s secondary cities.
Travel buyers should note that passengers can connect seamlessly to Hainan’s duty-free shopping hubs thanks to the province’s 30-day visa-free entry for most nationalities, while Malaysian passengers benefit from China’s e-visa portal and—starting 20 November—the option to complete the Arrival Card online before departure. With Sarawak targeting two million international visitor arrivals in 2026, the new link provides a timely capacity injection ahead of Chinese New Year peak travel.
Sarawak Transport Minister Dato Sri Lee Kim Shin welcomed the delegation and urged 9Air to fast-track plans for regular scheduled services from Guangzhou and Shenzhen. Those routes would plug Sarawak directly into China’s Greater Bay Area, home to more than 80 million consumers and advanced-manufacturing supply chains, and would bolster investor access to the state’s US $27-billion hydrogen and data-centre projects.
For Chinese outbound operators, Kuching offers a quieter gateway to Borneo’s eco-tourism corridor and the Malaysia My Second Home (MM2H) long-stay visa programme, which has seen a surge of applications from mid-income families in Guangdong and Hainan. Conversely, Sarawak companies importing industrial parts and electronic components from southern China can now shorten delivery times by 48 hours and avoid trans-shipments in Kuala Lumpur or Singapore.
9Air—a Guangzhou-based low-cost subsidiary of Juneyao Airlines—says its average load factor hovers near 90 percent. The airline will use the Haikou-Kuching route as a proving ground before applying for scheduled traffic rights under the China–Malaysia liberalised air-services agreement that takes effect in January 2026. The carrier is also evaluating Haikou–Penang charters starting 18 November as part of a broader push into Southeast Asia’s secondary cities.
Travel buyers should note that passengers can connect seamlessly to Hainan’s duty-free shopping hubs thanks to the province’s 30-day visa-free entry for most nationalities, while Malaysian passengers benefit from China’s e-visa portal and—starting 20 November—the option to complete the Arrival Card online before departure. With Sarawak targeting two million international visitor arrivals in 2026, the new link provides a timely capacity injection ahead of Chinese New Year peak travel.
