KUALA LUMPUR: National carrier Malaysia Airlines Bhd (MAB) today celebrated its inaugural Vaccinated Travel Lane (VTL) flight between Kuala Lumpur and Singapore with a send-off and welcome event held at KL International Airport (KLIA).

In a statement, MAB said Ministry of Transport secretary general Datuk Isham Ishak and delegates from the ministry were among the passengers who flew on the VTL flight MH603.

Passengers were treated to specially made Malaysian and Singapore flags cookies at the boarding lounge while passengers arriving from Singapore via MH606 received special goodies.

"Today marks a special day for all of us as we commence our inaugural VTL to facilitate safe and seamless travels between the KLIA and Changi Airport.

"We recorded healthy forward booking in the coming weeks for these sectors. It is truly exciting to see KLIA steadily bustling again after a quiet period for more than a year since the pandemic started," said group chief operations officer Ahmad Luqman.

He said passengers will enjoy their travel with peace of mind as Malaysia Airlines' pilot and cabin crew serving the flight are fully vaccinated. They will also be given a complimentary hygiene kit.

"Our aircraft are also equipped with High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filters to ensure an effective air circulation system capable of filtering out 99.7 per cent of micro-organisms on board," he added.

The once daily service will be operated by the A330-300 via MH603/606 with 290 seats, comprising 27 seats in Business Class and 247 seats in Economy Class.

-- BERNAMA