KUALA LUMPUR: A total of 17,708 one-way flight tickets from the peninsula to Sabah or Sarawak were sold at a maximum price of RM300 in conjunction with the Kaamatan and Gawai festivals.
Transport Minister Anthony Loke said the special price was offered by all domestic airlines for the travel periods on May 27, 28 and 29 to Sabah and May 29, 30 and 31 to Sarawak.
“Travellers can still buy tickets at a lower price if the original ticket price is less than RM300.
“The government bought (a total of 17,708 tickets) from the airlines and we sell them all at a maximum discount price of RM300,” he said at a press conference after the Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad Hari Raya celebration at its Kuala Lumpur station yesterday.
According to Loke, the pilot project is aimed at solving the problem of expensive flight ticket prices during the festive season and if successful, it will be presented to the Cabinet so that it can be used as an ongoing initiative.
Loke said the maximum price does not include taxes and fees, but with the purchase of the ticket, users will be protected according to the Malaysian Aviation Consumer Protection Code 2016 (MACPC).
He said the overall estimate for subsidising the purchase of flight tickets to Sabah and Sarawak throughout the period offered was between RM5.8 million to RM11.4 million.
According to Loke, following the sale of flight tickets for the Johor Bahru-Sibu route for the three days before the Gawai celebration, Batik Air will provide a special charter flight service with a frequency of once a day on May 29, 30 and 31.
The Borneo Post
