Changi Airport Group held a welcome ceremony for Firefly today, to celebrate the airline’s commencement of operations to Singapore. Guests on board flight FY3505, from Subang (Kuala Lumpur), were warmly received at Changi Airport’s Budget Terminal (BT). Firefly, which commenced flight operations at the BT on 1 July 2009, is the fourth airline to join the Changi family in 2009.

Firefly, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Malaysia Airlines, operates six daily flights between Singapore and Subang (Kuala Lumpur). The airline will begin operating routes between Singapore and destinations in Malaysia, such as Ipoh (scheduled flights commencing on 12 July 2009), Kuala Terengganu (from 14 July 2009), Kuantan (from 22 July 2009) and Malacca (from 1 September 2009). The airline also plans to launch flights to Alor Setar and Kota Bahru later this year.

In total, Firefly will add 12 daily flights to Changi Airport, representing a 12% increase in scheduled passenger flights between Singapore and Malaysia. With the airline’s new services, Changi Airport will be linked to nine cities in Malaysia via 110 daily flights, making it the international airport with the most connections to Malaysia.

Changi Airport Group’s Chief Executive Officer, Mr Lee Seow Hiang, said, “Firefly is the fourth new airline to join the family of airlines at Changi Airport this year, and its entry heralds a new milestone in the development of air connectivity between Singapore and Malaysia. Passengers travelling to Kuala Lumpur now have the convenient alternative of landing at Subang, which is close to Kuala Lumpur’s city centre. For the first time in many years, Firefly will connect Changi Airport to 4 new Malaysian destinations, namely Ipoh, Kuala Terengganu, Kuantan and Malacca, bringing Changi’s city links to a record high of 196. These cities offer a diverse mix of heritage, culture and nature that have wide appeal to travellers across all ages. I believe these new links will greatly benefit the tourism and business sectors in our two countries.”

Mr Lee added, “Firefly’s new flights to Changi will add to the already burgeoning air travel market between Singapore and Malaysia. Between January and May 2009, total passenger movements between the two countries registered almost 1.3 million, a 20.2% growth compared to the corresponding period last year. Given the strong traffic potential on the Singapore-Malaysia routes and the extensive air network of Changi Airport, I am confident Firefly will find many new business opportunities at Changi. I therefore encourage Firefly to further expand its operations at Changi Airport, and add new services from other Malaysian cities to Singapore. Changi Airport is committed to supporting Firefly in its growth in Singapore.”

With the addition of Firefly, Changi Airport will be connected by 85 scheduled airlines, via 4602 weekly scheduled flights to a record high of 196 cities in 60 countries.