Ba Kelalan villagers crowded out of flights by tourists
MIRI: Residents in Ba Kelalan are appealing to MASwings to increase its flights from Lawas and Miri to their interior highland settlement to meet the increasing number of tourists visiting their villages.
Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu ( PBB) Ba Kelalan chairman, Tadam Arun said while tourist arrival is good for the local economy the locals are often deprived of air tickets as outsiders visiting Ba Kelalan booked their flights online while most locals buy their tickets over the counter.
He said, it is sad to see villagers who wanted to fly out of Ba Kelalan on the waiting list as all the seats were fully occupied by tourists who booked their tickets online.
As a result there is always a long waiting list of passengers for the flights in and out of the settlement.
“Sometimes villagers who have urgent work or meeting in Lawas failed to get a seat out from Ba Kelalan,” he said.
The long wait for tickets often forced school children going home during school holidays and back to their schools in Miri or Lawas to go by road in four-wheel drive vehicles, which is risky and tiring.
“We are appealing to MASwings to give additional flights to cater for the demand of the local community and also the increasing number of tourists coming to Ba Kelalan,” Tadam told The Borneo Post yesterday.
According to Tadam there are only two daily flights with a capacity of 14 passengers to Ba Kelalan and he appealed to MASwings to increase its flights on Tuesday, Friday and Saturday to give locals better chance of buying the air tickets.
Meanwhile, State Assemblyman for Ba Kelalan Baru Bian could not be reached for comments on this issue.
Sometimes villagers who have urgent work or meeting in Lawas failed to get a seat out from Ba Kelalan. Tadam Arun, PBB Ba Kelalan chairman