Minister: Govt extends subsidy period for Raya flight tickets to East Malaysia by another day
PUTRAJAYA: The government has decided to extend the subsidised airfares from the peninsula to East Malaysia for Hari Raya Aidilfitri by an additional day, said Transport Minister Anthony Loke.
Previously, the subsidised airfares were only applicable to flights from April 7 to 9. Now, the RM599 maximum fare for one-way economy class flights RM599 airfares can be enjoyed by passengers for flights from April 6 to 9.
Loke said flight tickets for travel from Peninsular Malaysia to Sabah, Sarawak and Labuan on those four days would cost more than RM599 for the basic ticket as any cost above the maximum price would be borne by the government.
“We understand that people will take advantage of the weekend to return to their respective villages so we are adding another day, which is April 6 (Saturday), for this maximum price initiative.
“This is expected to have additional financial implications of up to RM1.8 million for the government,” he told a press conference here yesterday.
Last Dec 15, the Transport Ministry (MoT) launched the subsidy initiative in conjunction with the festive season for flights between Peninsular Malaysia and Sabah, Sarawak and Labuan.
Under the initiative, the Madani Government would bear the cost of a one-way flight ticket that exceeded RM599, for the Chinese New Year, Hari Raya Aidilfitri, Kaamatan Festival, Hari Gawai and Christmas.
Loke said his ministry, through the Malaysian Aviation Commission (Mavcom), had also facilitated a total of 342 additional domestic flights across the country for travel between April 3 to 18.
“This strategy has shown a positive effect, whereby more flight tickets, especially for routes from Kuala Lumpur to major destinations in Sabah and Sarawak, are sold at cheaper prices.”