China Eastern Airlines marked inaugural Kunming to Kuala Lumpur flight on Saturday.

Passengers on board flight MU9629 arriving at Kuala Lumpur International Airport from Kunming, southwest China, were welcomed by Manoharan Periasamy, director-general of Tourism Malaysia, an agency under the Malaysian Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture.

"With this new additional route, it is a great opportunity to bring in more tourists from China's second-tier cities, especially now with our visa-free policy for Chinese travelers to Malaysia. We continue to amplify our promotional efforts in showcasing Malaysia's rich heritage and warm hospitality to one of our top markets through Tourism Malaysia's overseas offices in China," the agency said in a statement.

Since last December the visa-free policy for Chinese travelers to Malaysia has seen a significant increase in bookings to Malaysia. In 2023, Malaysia welcomed 1.47 million visitor arrivals from China, an exponential growth of 593.4 percent from 2022, it said.

This new route by China Eastern Airlines connecting Kunming to Kuala Lumpur operates daily with a capacity of 156 passengers.