Malaysia Airlines (MH, Kuala Lumpur International) has entered into a partnership with local firm Universal Charter Sdn Bhd to provide scheduled charter services between Kota Kinabalu and destinations in China not currently in the airline’s network.

Under the terms of the agreement, between December 15, 2015 and March 31, 2016, Malaysia Airlines will operate 180 charter flights from Kota Kinabalu to Tianjin, Nanning and Chengdu Shuangliu focusing primarily on the Chinese tourist market.

“We are excited to begin a partnership with Universal Charters which will enable Malaysia Airlines to strengthen its presence in China. This makes good business sense as we will be able to operate and build presence in one of the biggest tourism markets in the world," Proteek Sengupta, Head of Strategy and Planning Malaysia Airlines, said. “The collaboration will provide a seamless travel solution with the best travelling experience to our customers. Utilising our B737-800 for this service, passengers will experience better overall in-flight comfort."

The Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was signed in Sepang on Wednesday to establish the service-user business arrangements.