Many international flights from around Asia Pacific, including Osaka, Seoul, Hong Kong, Manila, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur, and Singapore, fly into Sabah via it’s capital city, Kota Kinabalu. Kota Kinabalu with its many hotels and resorts house many tourists before they venture to the many interesting places around Sabah.

Kuala Lumpur, the capital city of Malaysia, has the most flights to Kota Kinabalu daily, this flight will take 2 hours and 30 minutes.

Malaysia Airlines has 14 non-stop or indirect daily flights to Kota Kinabalu and
Air Asia has 10 daily flights to and return from Kuala Lumpur.


Air Asia has one daily flight to and from Penang.

There are 3 daily flights from Singapore with Malaysia Airlines and Silk Air operating this route, the flight time from Singapore to Kota Kinabalu is 2 hours and 30 minutes. Malaysia Airlines has 2 flights from Singapore to Kota Kinabalu daily, one with a stop over at Kuching International Airport.

AirAsia has two daily flights from Singapore to Kota Kinabalu.
Jetstar, Silk Air & Tiger Airway have one flight to and from Singapore daily.

The flight time from Hong Kong to Kota Kinabalu is 3 hours.

Tuesday to Saturday 2 flights from Hong Kong and return, one by Malaysia Airlines and one by Dragon Air. Sunday one flight to and from Hong Kong by Dragon Air, and Monday one flight to and from Hong Kong by Malaysia Airlines.


One daily flight from Macau to Kota Kinabalu, by Air Asia.

Malaysia Airlines has daily flights from Manila to Kota Kinabalu, and Air Asia through Clark (2 hours drive from Manila) has one daily flight to Kota Kinabalu.

Korea Air and Malaysia Airline have twice weekly services from Seoul to Kota Kinabalu, on Wednesday and Sunday. Asiana Airlines have daily flight to and from Seoul.


Air Asia has one daily flight from Shenzhen to Kota Kinabalu.
Shenzhen Airline has 4 weekly flights to Kota Kinabalu.


Air Asia has one flight to and from Jakarta on every Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday.


Malaysia Airline has weekly flights from Osaka and Tokyo.

Other parts of the world

From Europe fly to Kuala Lumpur, Brunei and Singapore, these cities has good connecting flights to Kota Kinabalu. Airlines to look out for Malaysia Airline, Singapore Airline (with Silk Air), and Royal Brunei Airlines.

From North American fly to Hong Kong or Seoul, these two cities has good connecting flights to Kota Kinabalu. Korean Air and Cathay Pacific (with Dragon Air) are the main ones here.

From Australia and New Zealand fly to Kuala Lumpur, Brunei and Singapore, these cities has good connecting flights to Kota Kinabalu. Air Asia, Malaysia Airline, Singapore Airline (with Silk Air), and Royal Brunei Airlines have good flights service to Kota Kinabalu.