IPOH: The Perak government will have discussions with AirAsia to find out the reasons the company decided to terminate its Ipoh-Singapore route, says Datuk Seri Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin.
The state infrastructure, energy, water and public transport committee chairman said they wanted to hear from AirAsia if the company was facing any issues, and if the state government could assist them in any way.
“It is not that the route does not have passengers. The passenger load is there, thus we want to know if there are other reasons.
“We want to discuss with AirAsia to continue with the route. The talks are yet to take place, but they will be carried out soon,” he told reporters after launching the ‘Drive Safely, Safe during Aidil Fitri’ programme at Aeon Big near here on Thursday (March 13).
Mohammad Nizar was asked to comment on AirAsia’s move to suspend the Ipoh-Singapore route.
On Wednesday (March 12), Perak tourism, industry, investment, and corridor development committee chairman Loh Sze Yee had said that the state government was not consulted or informed prior to AirAsia’s announcement on the termination of the route.
Loh had said that data shows the route has consistently received good demand.
The support.airasia.com website under its travel notice states that about 17 routes, including the Ipoh-Singapore one, would be suspended.
Speaking about deaths due to accidents, Mohammad Nizar said a total of 640 deaths were reported throughout the whole of last year in Perak.
He said Perak was in the top five states with the most accidents.
He said the government and the state agencies involved were doing all they could to reduce the number of accidents, as well as deaths occurring due to that.
“We aim for a 50% reduction (deaths due to accidents) this year, which is a good target. Carrying out such safety awareness programmes, enforcement, and other measures has proven to reduce accidents.
“The number of accidents in Perak is still high, especially during festive periods, and we will not stop carrying out advocacy events.
“With great cooperation from the police, the road transport department, health department, and other agencies, we will continue with the initiatives,” he added.
He said, 60% of those who die in accidents are motorcyclists, and that it was important to make sure that roads are not seen as a place for racing or reckless driving.
“There are several hotspots that have been identified particularly on the highway, federal routes, and at council roads.
“So for the Hari Raya season, the Road Transport Department will position officers at these locations,” he added.
