Alternative airlines to meet extra flights mulled

KUCHING: Other airlines are being proposed to accommodate the increased number of passengers to Sarawak ahead of the upcoming holiday season.

Transport Minister Datuk Seri Lee Kim Shin assured that he will meet with other airlines to request additional flights during the upcoming festive seasons and school holidays.

Meanwhile, he suggested that AirAsia Berhad increase the frequency of its Kuching-Jakarta flights to a daily service due to the high passenger load factor.

“I would also advise those planning to travel during the festive season or upcoming school holidays to plan and book their flights early to secure the best fares and avoid last-minute bookings,” he said.

He said this during a courtesy visit from a delegation of AirAsia Berhad and Malaysia Airports Holding Berhad (MAHB) representatives at his office in Bangunan Baitul Makmur I, Petra Jaya, here on Wednesday.

AirAsia Berhad, represented by their Government Relations representatives in Sarawak, Hamdan Mohammad and his assistant Allaister Vyner Teoh, briefed the Ministry of Transport Sarawak (MOTS) on AirAsia’s operational performance in the state in 2023 and their plans for 2024.

This included routes and flight schedules for the upcoming festive season, particularly Chinese New Year on February 10.

Hamdan reported that passenger loads to Sarawak were generally positive and expected to continue in 2024, with the exception of the Singapore-Miri and Sibu routes, as the company is in the process of discontinuing these routes in February due to escalating losses.

For the upcoming festive season, AirAsia Berhad introduced Fixed Fares at RM298 one way from Kuala Lumpur to Miri, Sibu, Bintulu, and Kuching, and from Johor Bahru to Sibu, Miri, and Kuching.

These fixed low fares are scheduled from February 5 to 15, with only one flight on specific dates, typically midnight or late flights.

“The initiative aligns with the government’s FLYsiswa programme, providing a RM300 subsidy for public university students’ flight tickets and the RM599 base-fare subsidy scheme for one-way economy class tickets to East Malaysia, as announced last year,” said Hamdan.

Also present were MOTS Deputy Minister Datuk Dr Jerip Susil, officers from the Ministry Aviation Division led by Zulkarnain Rosli, and Aviation Technical Advisor Sio Yew Hua.