The Ministry of Transport (MOT) yesterday announced that a total of 10,326 domestic flights have been approved in conjunction with Hari Raya Aidilfitri this year.
In a press release, MOT said that an additional 527 flights were approved involving six companies, which are Malaysia Airlines, Batik Air, AirAsia, Firefly, MASWings and MYAirline.
The additional flights were on top of these domestic flights that were previously approved:
- 5,617 flights within Peninsular Malaysia
- 2,149 flights between Peninsular Malaysia and Sarawak
- 2,033 flights between Peninsular Malaysia and Sabah
Transport Minister, Anthony Loke Siew Fook
On Thursday (6 April 2023), Transport Minister alluded to the increase in flights for the festive season. As reported by BERNAMA, the Malaysian Aviation Commission (MAVCOM) informed MOT about the approval of the increase in flights.
Accordingly, MOT confirmed that MAVCOM had approved all additional capacity requests by airlines offering fixed fares to major Malaysian destinations. The statement asserted,
“Since early March, MOT and MAVCOM have taken proactive measures and encouraged airlines to offer reasonable airfares.”
Besides that, MOT and MAVCOM also implemented intervention measures by discussing with Malaysia Airlines Berhad (MAB) when the capacity offered by low-cost airlines was insufficient. This was successful and helped lowered the initial fares as MAB agreed to upgrade 40 flights to Airbus A330 aircraft for the Kuala Lumpur-Kota Kinabalu route.
So, what do you guys think of the measures taken by MOT and MAVCOM? Are you flying home this Hari Raya? How was your experience booking flight tickets? Share your thoughts and experiences with us in the comments!
Also read: PM Anwar: Govt to Discuss on Plans For Subsidised Flight Tickets For University Students
