KUCHING: A new direct flight between Singapore and Miri will commence in mid-January, says state Transport Minister Datuk Seri Lee Kim Shin (pic).

       He said his ministry had received the green light from the Federal Transport Ministry and Malaysian Aviation Commission (Mavcom) for Scoot Tigerair to operate the twice-weekly flights.

       "The Sarawak government welcomes Scoot's proposal to fly direct between Singapore and Miri.

       "This is mainly because Miri has been established as the northern gateway to Sarawak and one of the most popular tourism destinations in the state," he said in a statement on Tuesday (Nov 2).

       Scoot currently flies three times a week between Singapore and Kuching.

       Lee said it was timely for the airline to expand its service to other major cities in Sarawak.

       He noted that visitor arrivals from Singapore to the state rose from 38,743 in 2010 to 46,812 in 2019.

       "However, due to the adverse impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, the number of visitors from Singapore went down to 7,363 last year.

       "We believe the numbers will gradually return to normal once the situation improves, with more than 91% of the state's adult population now fully vaccinated," he said.