Former transport minister Wee Ka Siong has urged for cheaper airfares between the peninsula and East Malaysia in the upcoming festive season.
He noted that return airfares between Peninsular Malaysia to Sabah and Sarawak during the festive season have often been a hot issue.
According to Wee (above), the Malaysian Aviation Commission (Mavcom) and the Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia (CAAM) had previously met and discussed with local carriers to add more flights past midnight.
The Malaysia Airport Holdings Berhad (MAHB) had also agreed in principle to the recommendation to extend its operations, he said in a statement today.
"Very soon, we will be celebrating Chinese New Year and after (CNY), Hari Raya Aidilfitri. We hope that Malaysia Airlines, AirAsia, Batik Air and a new local airline, MyAirline, which started its operation in December 2022, can implement these proposals and offer cheap airfares during festive seasons.
"Adding capacity and the number of flights during peak seasons are effective steps to overcome congestion and reduce the airfares," said Wee, adding that many are anticipating such measures ahead of the holiday season.
Wee expressed his confidence that such measures can be executed, especially with the newly implemented Kuala Lumpur Air Traffic Control Complex (KLATCC).
He said the KLATCC will increase the movement of flights at KLIA and KLIA2 to 108 movements an hour with the simultaneous use of three lanes, as compared to the previous record of 84 movements an hour with only two lanes.
Wee explained that when borders were newly opened in May 2022, many airlines faced difficulties in providing additional flights as many aircraft remained grounded during the Covid-19 lockdowns.
"Because of that, they will have to go through a rather long MRO (maintenance, repair and operations) process before they are allowed to operate for the safety of the people.
"However, at this time, more aircraft have completed the MRO process and certainly airlines are able to provide midnight flights at a lower price.
"I am confident the Transport Ministry under (the) unity government will continue to work on this matter. Hopefully, airlines are able to offer additional flights during midnight with low airfares, especially during the approaching holiday seasons," he added.
Transport Minister Anthony Loke will be organising a press conference with AirAsia on Chinese New Year airfares tomorrow morning. - Mkini
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