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Malaysia Airlines may operate flights from Puducherry

Noor Arif Mohammed Noor.

PUDUCHERRY: Malaysia Airlines will consider operating flights from Puducherry airport after the runway expansion work is completed, an airlines official has said.

“We always consider Puducherry as a potential market. Once the runway expansion work is complete, we will moot a proposal,” Area Manager (Tamil Nadu and Kerala) Malaysia Airlines C.N. Shanmugham said at a press conference here on Saturday.

Following the promotional programme in Puducherry last year, good number of tourists, especially senior citizens, from here had visited Malaysia. As many as 132 senior citizens from Puducherry visited Malaysia, Thailand and Saigon last year, Mr. Shanmugham said.

The airlines had introduced Tamil language option for customers who interact with its call centre through the number 603 7843 300, he added.

Director of Tourism Malaysia Noor Arif Mohammed Noor said they expect more tourists from Puducherry during the current year.

The Malaysian government had set a target of receiving around five lakh tourists from India, he said, adding that till June around three lakh tourists from India had visited the country.

Around 30 per cent of tourists from India were from the South, he said.

“Focusing on tertiary cities of South India, Tourism Malaysia is seeking to create more awareness of Malaysia as a holiday gateway with an objective to tap the growing leisure traffic from India,” he said.

The Malaysian government had rolled out several attractive tour packages for tourists from India, he added.

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