Batik Air begins A330 direct flights to Jeddah

With the steadily rising demand in flights to Jeddah from Kuala Lumpur, Batik Air has announced the introduction of non-stop flights between Kuala Lumpur and Jeddah starting from August 15, 2023.

Batik Air flights to Jeddah use their new A330

The airline will meet this high demand for “Umrah” flights to the Holy Land from Muslim passengers in Malaysia and the region using their newly acquired Airbus A330 aircraft. They consider this a timely entry into the market considering the significantly increasing travel demand to Jeddah. In addition, the Saudi Arabian government’s introduction of the online portal “Nusuk” has streamlined the “Umrah” visa application process, providing added convenience for travellers.

Bookings are now open for the “Umrah” service with promotional fares for Kuala Lumpur-Jeddah flights:

• Business Class, all-in one-way from RM5,999
• Economy Class, all-in one-way from RM2,289

Passengers flying Business Class will begiven free checked-in baggage allowance of 40kgs, while Economy Class passengers will have an entitlement of 30kgs. All passengers will also be allocated an additional 5kgs for the return flight to carry Zam-Zam water. For the services to Saudi Arabia, Batik Air will include complimentary meals for all classes and passengers can prepurchase any additional requirements through the website.

The launch of flights to Jeddah marks the introduction of the new A330-300 aircraft, which features 12 Business and 365 Economy class seats. Flights operate from Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA T1) to King Abdul Aziz International Airport, Jeddah departing as Flight OD 705 at 6.05 pm from Kuala Lumpur, arriving in Jeddah at 9.55 pm.

The return service OD 706 departs from Jeddah, at 11.25 pm, arriving the next day at KLIA at 1.30 pm. Flight frequencies increase to daily services by 1st November, 2023.

Group Strategy Director of Batik Air and Lion Air Group, Datuk Chandran Rama Muthy, says the airline is responding to a significant surge in travel demand for “Umrah” to the twin holy cities of Mecca and Medina.

….We are thrilled to offer non-stop flights to Jeddah on the newly introduced A330-300 aircraft, especially considering that 25% of the world’s Muslim population resides in the region, offering seamless connectivity between Malaysia and Saudi Arabia.

He added that Batik Air is working with the Ministry of Tourism Malaysia, to establish KLIA as the “Umrah hub” for Batik Air flights to Jeddah. The airline also plans to connect Batik Air Jeddah services with feeder services from the Lion Air Group affiliate airlines, realizing the “Umrah hub” ambition.

Jeddah services will be one of the key trunk routes for Batik Air, with the aim is to collaborate with Saudi Tourism to further develop the market. The airline foresees strong growth in the immediate future especially from Middle-East markets, including travel to the Malaysian holiday destinations of Penang, Langkawi, Kuching and Kota Kinabalu.