Malaysian football fans headed to Hanoi for AFF Suzuki Cup final on special AirAsia flight
Friday, 14 Dec 20189:54 AM MYT
by t. avineshwaran
SEPANG: Hundreds of hardcore Malaysian football fans called the Ultras Malaya boarded a chartered flight to Hanoi Friday (Dec 14) morning for the second leg of the AFF Suzuki Cup final against Vietnam at the MyDinh Stadium.
AirAsia arranged two return flights for the fans going to game.
The airline held a special send-off ceremony for the fans at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport 2 (KLIA 2) on Friday.
The other scheduled flight on Dec 15 is also fully booked. In total, 345 seats were sold for both flights.
AirAsia Deputy Group CEO (Airline Business) Bo Lingam and Petronas Dagangan Berhad managing director and CEO Datuk Seri Syed Zainal Abidin Syed Mohamed Tahir were present to send off the fans.
"It is a great effort by AirAsia and all the supporters who are going to Hanoi to support the team.
"We are also thankful that Petronas is sponsoring fuel for the two flights and because of that, we are able to refund RM50 for everyone," said Lingam.
Syed Zainal said when AirAsia announced the charter flights to Hanoi, Petronas was compelled help out the fans.
"We have partnered with AirAsia to do our part with the national agenda. National support for the football team is strong.
"We hope the fans will have a good time and it will also instil some sense of patriotism among the fans," he said.
On Dec 10, AirAsia Group CEO Tan Sri Tony Fernandes announced on his Twitter that two extra return flights at RM449 would be chartered for football fans.
According to the Football Association of Malaysia, about 1,100 tickets have been sold for the match. Malaysia was allocated 3,000 tickets.
The first leg of the final, which took place at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil on Dec 11, ended in a 2-2 draw.
Malaysia will need a win or high-scoring draw to lift the coveted trophy.
Read more at https://www.thestar.com.my/sport/football/2018/12/14/malaysian-football-fans-head-to-hanoi-for-aff-suzuki-cup-final-on-special-airasia-flight/#LgYYetI2Fye84Wit.99
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