Kota Kinabalu (KK) can be reached direct by air from various countries in Southeast Asia including Singapore, Brunei, Thailand and the Philippines. International destinations that may have direct flights connecting to KK include Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, Hong Kong, Macau, Australia, Taiwan and China.
A transit or domestic flight will involve a switch at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) at West Malaysia that connects to Kota Kinabalu International Airport (KKIA) at Terminal 1 or Terminal 2 (budget carriers such as Air Asia and Jet Star). The airport is located close to the city (4km from Terminal 2 or 7km from Terminal 1) with taxis and bus service to KK available.