Fixed airfares to continue for festive seasons, says Anthony Loke

KUALA LUMPUR: The government will continue to offer fixed fares for airline tickets during festive seasons, says Transport Minister Anthony Loke.

He said that similar to what has been practised during festivities this year, the government will encourage airline operators to add more frequency to cope with the travel demand.

The Seremban MP also emphasised that the government was not interested in introducing a ceiling price for the airfare as it would disrupt the dynamic pricing.

“The government would do selective intervention rather than a blanket one. For example, we would encourage airlines to add midnight flights during the festive seasons. This will continue throughout any festive period.

“While the operators add more flights, the government will facilitate accordingly. Airports’ operation will be extended, and we will provide traffic control,” he said Thursday (Nov 16) as he wrapped up the Budget 2024 debate.

Loke said this initiative would benefit Malaysians, especially those from Sabah and Sarawak, who have no other travel options.

Several airline operators have participated in the initiative by offering more midnight flights during the festive season, enabling them to cap the airfare at a more affordable rate.

The minister also highlighted the latest government effort to reduce the burdens of Bornean higher education institution students studying in the Peninsular.

“We have introduced RM300 vouchers for the students who need to travel from the peninsular to Sabah or Sarawak.

“The ministry does not have a specific allocation for this, yet we managed to implement it by redirecting excess previous allocation to fund the initiative,” he said.

In July, Loke announced the initiative aimed at benefiting over 56,000 public university students across the country, involving an estimated cost of RM16.8mil.