Are there direct flights from Kuala Lumpur to Kota Kinabalu?

Yes, direct flights from Kuala Lumpur to Kota Kinabalu are widely available. In the trailing 90 days, approximately 97.8% of flights on this route were direct. For the small percentage of flights that included stopovers, the median number of stopovers was one.

How long is the flight from Kuala Lumpur to Kota Kinabalu?

A direct flight from Kuala Lumpur to Kota Kinabalu typically takes 4 hours and 55 minutes, with a median duration of 295 minutes. Flights with one stop, on the other hand, have a significantly longer median duration of 543 minutes, which translates to approximately 9 hours and 3 minutes. The distance covered on this route is 1629 kilometers.

How often do flight deals from Kuala Lumpur to Kota Kinabalu come up?

Flight deals from Kuala Lumpur to Kota Kinabalu are frequent. Historically, across the trailing 30 days, deals for this route appeared at a rate of 1.03 deals per day. This indicates consistent availability of discounted fares for travelers planning to fly between these two cities.

Flights From Kuala Lumpur

To Kota Kinabalu

Cheap Flights from Kuala Lumpur to Kota Kinabalu

Browse current best options from Kuala Lumpur. Become a member to unlock all deals and get alerts when new deals appear.

Deals from

Kuala Lumpur

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402 airlines compared

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Fares are subject to change and may not be available for all dates. (Data last updated Jul 12, 2026.)

Today’s best flight deals from Kuala Lumpur to Kota Kinabalu

Explore current cheapest deals departing from Kuala Lumpur to Kota Kinabalu

Round trip

Sort by: Cheapest

January 10 - January 19

Cheapest

Best

KUL - Kota Kinabalu

$76

$96

Round trip

January 5 - January 9

Best

KUL - Kota Kinabalu

$76

$101

Round trip

January 5 - January 10

KUL - Kota Kinabalu

$77

$105

Round trip

January 10 - January 17

KUL - Kota Kinabalu

$78

$105

Round trip

January 6 - January 24

KUL - Kota Kinabalu

$72

$105

Round trip

January 3 - January 7

KUL - Kota Kinabalu

$76

$106

Round trip

January 24 - January 27

KUL - Kota Kinabalu

$77

$109

Round trip

January 16 - January 23

KUL - Kota Kinabalu

$78

$110

Round trip

November 17 - November 20

Earliest

KUL - Kota Kinabalu

$72

$112

Round trip

January 11 - January 15

KUL - Kota Kinabalu

$77

$112

Round trip

Unlock all 500+ flight deals to Kota Kinabalu and get alerts when great deals appear

Kuala Lumpur to Kota Kinabalu: Overview

Insights for flights from Kuala Lumpur to Kota Kinabalu

The route from Kuala Lumpur to Kota Kinabalu covers a distance of 1629 km, classifying it as a medium-haul flight. This distance means you can expect a journey that balances efficiency with a comfortable duration. Right now, new deals appear almost daily for this route, indicating a consistent flow of available fares.

For travelers seeking cheap flights from Kuala Lumpur to Kota Kinabalu, fares typically range from $63–$132, with a median price of $88. Currently, prices are above the typical level for this route. However, it is worth noting that 0% of recent fares were classified as a good price, suggesting that current offerings may be higher than usual.

When considering the cheapest time to fly from Kuala Lumpur to Kota Kinabalu, January stands out as the most affordable month, with a median fare of $59. Following closely, August offers a median fare of $64, and July presents a median of $65. These months provide the best opportunities for securing lower prices.

The typical journey from Kuala Lumpur to Kota Kinabalu takes approximately 4h 55m, including connections. This duration accounts for the overall travel time from origin to destination. For this route, almost all itineraries are non-stop, with 97.8% of recent fares being direct flights from Kuala Lumpur to Kota Kinabalu. For the few itineraries that do connect, the typical number of stopovers is one.

How much is a round trip from Kuala Lumpur to Kota Kinabalu

Regular price: $61 - $134

Prices for flights from Kuala Lumpur to Kota Kinabalu are currently within the regular range.

The regular price range for flights from Kuala Lumpur to Kota Kinabalu is between $61 and $134. The current lowest deal is $96 with Malaysia Airlines, for travel from Jan 10-Jan 19.

now $96

Low $61

High $134

The cheapest time to fly from Kuala Lumpur to Kota Kinabalu

The cheapest month to fly from Kuala Lumpur to Kota Kinabalu is January, with a median price of $59. The most expensive month is December, with a median price of $210. Prices are generally lower from January to November.

January

Cheapest

Flights from $59

December

Most Expensive

Flights from $210

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Direct flights from Kuala Lumpur to Kota Kinabalu

Malaysia Airlines

Last-minute flights going from Kuala Lumpur to Kota Kinabalu

Mon, Sep 7

⌛ Last-Minute

KUL - Kota Kinabalu

Kuala Lumpur (KUL) - Kota Kinabalu (BKI)

AirAsia

$98

$123

One-way

Mon, Sep 7

⌛ Last-Minute

KUL - Kota Kinabalu

Kuala Lumpur (KUL) - Kota Kinabalu (BKI)

AirAsia

$111

$125

One-way

Mon, Sep 7

⌛ Last-Minute

KUL - Kota Kinabalu

Kuala Lumpur (KUL) - Kota Kinabalu (BKI)

AirAsia

$115

$126

One-way

Mon, Sep 7

⌛ Last-Minute

KUL - Kota Kinabalu

Kuala Lumpur (KUL) - Kota Kinabalu (BKI)

AirAsia

$116

$127

One-way

Mon, Sep 7

⌛ Last-Minute

KUL - Kota Kinabalu

Kuala Lumpur (KUL) - Kota Kinabalu (BKI)

AirAsia

$115

$128

One-way

Wed, Sep 9

⌛ Last-Minute

KUL - Kota Kinabalu

Kuala Lumpur (KUL) - Kota Kinabalu (BKI)

AirAsia

$115

$127

One-way

Biggest price drops on these dates for flights from Kuala Lumpur to Kota Kinabalu

4 nights

Sep 26 - Sep 30

$119 → $126

4 nights

Sep 8 - Sep 12

$115 → $125

4 nights

Sep 9 - Sep 13

$115 → $125

3 nights

Sep 21 - Sep 24

$115 → $125

Popular Airports to fly from Kuala Lumpur to Kota Kinabalu

Kuala Lumpur - Kota Kinabalu route insights

💸 Price insights

Recent fares are above the typical level

Recent fares for Kuala Lumpur to Kota Kinabalu are above the typical level at $101.

📅 Best time to fly

January is historically cheapest at $59

Historically, January is the cheapest month to fly from Kuala Lumpur to Kota Kinabalu, at $59.

⏱️ Flight duration

Typically 4h 55m direct

Flights from Kuala Lumpur to Kota Kinabalu typically take 4h 55m direct.

✈️ Airlines & availability

Malaysia Airlines offers direct flights

Malaysia Airlines offers direct flights on this route, with 97.8% of recent deals being direct.

🏆 Airline highlight

Malaysia Airlines: $101 deal

A recent deal from Malaysia Airlines was found for $101 from January 5-9, 2027.

🎯 Booking tip

Deals are frequent

Deals for flights from Kuala Lumpur to Kota Kinabalu are frequent, with 1.03 deals per day.

Kuala Lumpur main airports to depart from

Kuala Lumpur International (KUL)

Cheapest

Kuala Lumpur International Airport is a primary option for flights from Kuala Lumpur to Kota Kinabalu.

📍 ~45 km from city center (reachable by car or train)

💸 Flights from ~$106

Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah (SZB)

Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport offers an alternative departure point for your trip to Kota Kinabalu.

📍 ~15 km from city center (reachable by car)

💸 Flights from ~$182

Kota Kinabalu main airports to arrive at

Kota Kinabalu International (BKI)

Cheapest

Arrive at Kota Kinabalu International Airport for convenient access to Kota Kinabalu.

📍 ~8 km from Kota Kinabalu (reachable by car)

💸 Flights from ~$106

Airports nearby Kota Kinabalu used as alternative

Brunei International (BWN)

Consider Brunei International for full-service international flights, but be aware of border crossing requirements.

📍 ~170 km from Kota Kinabalu (reachable by car, involves multiple border checkpoints)

💸 Flights from ~$169

Sandakan (SDK)

Sandakan is a major domestic airport in Sabah with reliable flight schedules to Malaysian hubs.

📍 ~195 km from Kota Kinabalu (reachable by car)

💸 Flights from ~$132

Labuan (LBU)

Cheapest

Labuan offers regular regional connections and can be a cheaper alternative for your arrival.

📍 ~100 km from Kota Kinabalu (reachable by ferry or short flight from mainland)

💸 Flights from ~$123

Limbang (LMN)

Limbang provides regional connectivity within Sarawak, though it has limited flight frequencies.

📍 ~190 km from Kota Kinabalu (reachable by car)

💸 Flights from ~$179

Lawas (LWY)

Lawas is an alternative regional access point, but it's a very small facility with limited options.

📍 ~170 km from Kota Kinabalu (reachable by car)

💸 Flights from ~$166

Business & First Class Flight Deals to Kota Kinabalu

48% AI deal score

$426

From SZB

Elite

Sep 15

Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia

48% AI deal score

Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia

47% AI deal score

$446

$428

Save $18

From KUL

Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia

46% AI deal score

$428

From SZB

Elite

Aug 09

Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia

46% AI deal score

$430

$428

Save $2

From SZB

Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia

46% AI deal score

$429

From SZB

Elite

Jul 27

Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia

46% AI deal score

$429

From SZB

Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia

46% AI deal score

$430

From SZB

Elite

Jul 04

Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia

46% AI deal score

Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia

45% AI deal score

$429

From SZB

Elite

Aug 10

Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia

45% AI deal score

$429

Frequently Asked Questions About Flights to Kota Kinabalu

Historically, the cheapest fares for flights from Kuala Lumpur to Kota Kinabalu are found when booking 28-59 days in advance. During this period, the average price was $79. Booking 7-13 days out also offered a relatively low average of $93. In contrast, waiting until 0-6 days before departure typically resulted in a significantly higher average price of $364.

Across the trailing quarter, a good price for a flight from Kuala Lumpur to Kota Kinabalu was considered to be $63 or less. The median price for this route during the same period was $88. Prices typically increased, with 75% of fares being $132 or less.

Historically, January has been the cheapest month to fly from Kuala Lumpur to Kota Kinabalu, with a median price of $59. August and July also offered competitive prices, with median fares of $64 and $65 respectively. The annual median price for this route was $88, indicating that these months offered notable savings.

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