BY AWANG MUHAMMAD SYAHMI & SARAH HAFIZAH CHANDRA
KUCHING: ATS Global Travel & Charter Sdn Bhd (ATS) is seeking the green light from the General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) in Saudi Arabia to establish a direct flight route from Kuching to Jeddah and Madinah.
Its chairman Datuk A Aziz Ahmad said a meeting was recently held with the GACA to expediate the application process for landing and overflight rights.
“This is part and parcel of our responsibility for the Kuching Umrah Getaway. We are in the negotiation process to reach an agreement.
“We will be meeting with the GACA on July 6 for further discussion. Our primary objective is to secure GACA approval so that the flight routes can commence in October,” he said during the Kuching Umrah Getaway media announcement today.
A Aziz said the strategic partnership between the company and the Ministry of Tourism, Creative Industry, and Performing Arts, Sarawak Tourism Board (STB) and Sarawak Umrah and Haj Agency (SUHA) is to ensure the success of Kuching as an umrah hub.
He said the hub will support the goal of attracting more visitors and tourists to Sarawak.
“We hope the approval process will be smooth as it will contribute to the successful implementation of the project. We are working hard to also create opportunities for feeder flights to support the main line operations of the Umrah Flight Careers.
“We will provide charter flights and work closely with tour agents, including SUHA and its members, to create attractive umrah packages,” he added.
The first batch of the pilgrims under this project is set to depart for the Holy Land on Aug 29.
The project targets to increase the frequency of the trips to the Holy Land from once a week to five times weekly.
