KOTA KINABALU: A regional Bornean approach involving local airlines should be taken to resolve the problems of high airfares during festivals and school holidays, says former chief minister Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal.
He said Sabah Air, Sarawak's Hornbill Skyways and Royal Brunei Airlines could look at working together under an aviation bloc umbrella as a means of rationalising air travel costs.
In fact, Shafie said, he had discussed such a possibility with the Sultan of Brunei when Warisan helmed the state government from 2018 to 2020.
He said Royal Brunei was the only one among the three with airliners, so it would be more practical for Sabah and Sarawak to work out some form of cooperation to facilitate efficient travel within Borneo and also tap into the tourist market.
"Brunei has large passenger aircraft but we (Sabah Air and Hornbill) don't and if there is a combination of these three provinces, we have the advantage, so we need to look at this," he said when commenting on the issue of high domestic flight prices during festive seasons.
Shafie said at the time of his discussions with the Sultan, the annual tourist influx from China to Sabah was around four million, so package tours involving Brunei and Sarawak as well were a potentially lucrative idea.
Shafie explained that it would involve huge expenses if Sabah were to build up its own large-scale passenger fleet, so it would be better to establish mutually beneficial cooperation in Borneo.
The Parti Warisan president Shafie said that with Pesta Kaamatan (May 30 and 31) and Hari Gawai (June 1) coming, measures should be put in place to keep airfares reasonable.
"The number of flights should also be increased during this festive season," he told reporters after the Putatan Warisan Hari Raya gathering on Thursday (May 11).
