KUCHING: Airlines are expected to offer affordable flight fares to passengers, especially for the coming of major celebrations such as Hari Raya Aidilfitri and Gawai Dayak, said Transport Minister Datuk Seri Lee Kim Shin.
According to him, to date, the state government through the State Disaster Management Committee (SDMC) had approved 619 flight frequencies weekly into the state, including international flights from Singapore and Brunei Darussalam.
With the reopening of borders on April 1, Lee said the major goal of offering additional flights is to ease the seamless movement of people and cargo while also re-energising the state’s economic growth, notably in the tourism industry.
The Ministry of Transport Sarawak (MOTS) has asked airlines to offer more affordable flight tickets, particularly during the upcoming Christmas season.
“We hope that this would ease the financial burden that the public has been bearing since the first movement control order (MCO) was implemented in 2020 to combat the spread of COVID-19 in the country.
“I was also told that airlines will be offering special and limited-time promotions for Hari Raya in the near future to meet the growing demand for flights between Malaya and Sarawak.
“We hope Sarawakians residing and working in Malaya will take full advantage of this opportunity and keep an eye out for the announcements by the respective airlines soon,” he said in a statement yesterday.
Lee also pointed out that many Sarawakians working in Malaya are likely to return home to Sarawak for the holidays to see their families.
In this regard, he reminded the people to prepare ahead for the upcoming festivities and purchase their flight tickets in advance rather than waiting until the last minute.
“According to the Malaysia Aviation Commission (MAVCOM), most airlines employ the Dynamic Pricing technique in their revenue management, where prices adjust to demand.
“We are confident that airlines will respond positively to SDMC’s decision to approve more flight frequencies into Sarawak, and that airlines will play a key role in facilitating the movement of people and goods at reasonable rates, as well as supporting government initiatives to accelerate the revitalisation of our economy,” stressed the deputy minister.
