Perak, North Sumatra gov'ts discuss possibility of re-opening Ipoh-Medan air route

MEDAN, North Sumatra: The Perak government from Malaysia will hold discussions with its North Sumatran counterpart to reopen the Ipoh-Medan flight service which was stopped last year.
Perak Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abd Kadir (pix) said such discussions would be conducted following a request from North Sumatra Governor Ir H Tengku Erry Nuradi and the demand from tourists, especially in Medan, who want direct flights between the two cities opened again.
"We will continue the discussions, if everyone agrees, we will pursue the matter as soon as possible.
"The infrastructure is already there and we had previously operated flights (between Ipoh and Medan) as well ... now we only need to ensure both destinations have sufficient number of passengers," he said.
He was speaking to reporters after a gathering with Malaysian students in North Sumatra in conjunction with a mission to promote tourism for Visit Perak Year 2017 in Medan and Jakarta, last night.
According to Zambry, last year, airline companies from Indonesia had terminated the flight service after suffering losses due to the low number of passengers on one of the two routes.
"That's what creates problems for the airlines, because they require (enough passengers from) both destinations to operate the route and make enough profit," he said.
He, however, expressed confidence that with the opening of the Movie Animation Park Studios (MAPS) in Ipoh, Perak this June, the flight service would re-open as more domestic and foreign tourists, including from Medan, would visit the state. — Bernama