Malaysia Aviation Group (MAG) announced that it will operate more than 2,400 flights during the Chinese New Year travel period as demand surges for domestic connectivity across the country.
The festive flight schedule, operating from February 11 to 23, 2026, includes up to 198 additional services across MAG’s two carriers, Malaysia Airlines and Firefly, to accommodate increased passenger volumes during one of Malaysia’s busiest travel seasons.
Malaysia Airlines will operate up to 1,498 flights during the period, including 130 additional services beyond its regular schedule. Firefly will operate up to 962 flights between February 13 and 23, with 68 extra services added to meet festive demand.
Focus on domestic homecoming routes
The expanded operations primarily target key domestic routes connecting Peninsular Malaysia with East Malaysia, including Kota Kinabalu, Tawau, Sandakan, Kuching, Miri, Sibu, and Bintulu. These routes traditionally experience high demand during Chinese New Year as Malaysians travel to reunite with family.
The additional capacity reflects MAG’s response to seasonal travel patterns and aims to provide reliable connectivity during the peak festive period, according to the airline group.
Government-supported subsidized fares
In alignment with Malaysian government festive travel initiatives, both Malaysia Airlines and Firefly will offer subsidized fares for travel between Kuala Lumpur and selected East Malaysia destinations during the peak Chinese New Year period from February 13 to 16, 2026.
Malaysia Airlines will offer subsidized all-in one-way fares of up to RM569 (US$141) from Kuala Lumpur to destinations including Kota Kinabalu, Tawau, Sandakan, Labuan, Kuching, Miri, Sibu, and Bintulu.
Firefly will provide subsidized fares of up to RM548 (US$136) all-in one-way from Kuala Lumpur to Kota Kinabalu, Tawau, Kuching, and Sibu.
The subsidized fares are designed to ease travel costs while ensuring broader access to the expanded festive flight capacity during the high-demand period.
Additional offerings
For travelers planning trips beyond Malaysia, the group’s Global New Year campaign remains available until January 20, 2026, for travel through November 30, 2026. The promotion offers all-in return fares starting from RM159, with Enrich loyalty program members receiving an additional 5% discount.
Both Malaysia Airlines and Firefly provide complimentary checked baggage, in-flight refreshments, and flexible flight change options across selected fare categories. Firefly operates from both Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KUL) Terminal 1 and Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport (SZB) in Subang, offering passengers multiple departure point options.
Passengers connecting via Malaysia Airlines benefit from through-checked baggage and included meals, streamlining the travel experience for multi-leg journeys.
The Chinese New Year travel period, known as Chunyun, marks Asia’s biggest annual travel rush, driven primarily by large-scale domestic movement within China and significant outbound tourism to popular destinations such as South Korea, Japan, Thailand, and across Southeast Asia.
