Sarawak Transport Ministry urges airlines to study fare cap as last-minute tickets top RM1,000

Lee (centre) in a meeting with representatives from AirAsia in his office on Sept 15, 2026.

By DayakDaily Team

KUCHING, Sept 17: The Sarawak Ministry of Transport (MOTS) has proposed that AirAsia study the possibility of introducing reasonable fare caps or an appropriate mechanism to prevent last-minute airfares from rising excessively, following complaints over fares on routes involving Sarawak that have exceeded RM1,000 in some cases.

Sarawak Transport Minister Dato Sri Lee Kim Shin said the proposal was among several matters discussed during separate courtesy visits and briefings by representatives of AirAsia and Malaysia Aviation Group (MAG) on Tuesday (Sept 15).

“It is particularly burdensome for those who need to travel due to emergencies, family matters, medical reasons or other unforeseen circumstances,” he said in a statement today as reported by Sarawak Public Communication Unit (Ukas).

The discussions also covered flight capacity and connectivity involving Sarawak.

Lee said AirAsia would resume three routes involving Sarawak from late October, beginning with the Kuching-Kota Bharu route on Oct 27, followed by Bintulu-Kota Kinabalu on Nov 1 and Sibu-Kota Kinabalu on Nov 2.

AirAsia will also increase flight frequencies on several key routes from November, including the Kuala Lumpur-Kuching route, which will see an increase from 63 to 77 flights per week.

Additional frequencies will also be introduced on several routes involving Sibu, Miri, Bintulu, Penang, Johor Bahru and Pontianak.

“For Sarawak, sufficient flight capacity is very important, especially during school holidays and festive seasons when demand increases significantly,” he added.

Meanwhile, MAG informed Lee that Malaysia Airlines plans to add a total of 11 flights per week on the Kuala Lumpur-Kuching, Kuala Lumpur-Miri, Kuala Lumpur-Sibu and Kuala Lumpur-Bintulu routes.

This will increase the airline’s total frequency on the four routes from 86 to 97 flights per week under its 2027 schedule.

Firefly, which is also part of MAG, meanwhile plans to increase its Kuala Lumpur-Kuching service to 14 flights per week from February 2027.

Lee said MOTS would continue engaging with airlines on flight capacity, connectivity and fares to ensure air services to, from and within Sarawak remain sufficient and accessible at reasonable rates.

He said this was particularly important during periods of high demand, when limited capacity and increased travel needs could place greater pressure on airfares. — DayakDaily