Malaysia Airlines has firmly set its sights on China as the best route to revitalize its fortunes.
The carrier will launch flights to eight new cities and 11 new routes beginning in early 2107.
New routes planned are Kuala Lumpur to Haikou, Nanjing, Fuzhou, Wuhan, Chengdu and Chongqing.
It will also launch Kota Kinabalu-Tianjin, Penang-Shenzhen and Penang-Shanghai flights as well as add a second daily flight between Kuala Lumpur and Shanghai.
"Six of our new Chinese cities have never been served directly by Malaysian Airlines. The Chinese tourist market to Malaysia is growing rapidly due to the shared food, language and cultural connections," said CEO Peter Bellew.
"Malaysia Airlines plans to triple our Chinese business over the next five years. I see potential for direct flights to 20 Chinese cities from Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Kota Kinabalu and Kuching by 2019," he said.
The announcement was initially made by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Najib Razak, who was in China last week on an official visit.
Malaysia Airlines will also actively promote inbound tourism with ad hoc and seasonal services to regional leisure destinations such as Langkawi, Kuching and Kota Kinabalu.
