KOTA KINABALU: The government should intervene to control airfares between Sabah and Peninsular Malaysia during peak seasons due to soaring ticket prices, says Sabah Youth Council (MBS) president Abqaree Fawwaz Abekan.
He said the Federal Government and relevant authorities should consider more effective interventions, including increasing seat capacity during peak periods, encouraging airline competition, and strengthening fare monitoring.
He also proposed targeted assistance or subsidised fares for specific groups, including students, athletes, and individuals travelling for family emergencies.
“We understand the aviation industry has operating costs and prices are influenced by demand. But geographical factors should not force Sabahans to pay excessively high prices to access the same opportunities.
“MBS is not asking for free tickets. We are asking for a fairer system because flights between Sabah and Peninsular Malaysia do not merely connect two destinations—they connect families, education, jobs, opportunities and the future of Sabah’s children,” he said in a statement on Wednesday (Aug 18).
He said soaring airfares between Kota Kinabalu and Kuala Lumpur during peak seasons had evolved beyond a travel issue to impact access to education, economic opportunities, social mobility, and family ties.
For Sabahans, flying is a necessity rather than a luxury because no road or rail alternatives connect Sabah with Peninsular Malaysia.
“When fares are too high, students may have to delay returning to campus, young entrepreneurs lose opportunities, athletes are forced to reconsider participation in competitions, and parents must find extra money just to buy tickets for their children.
“Even more heartbreaking is when Sabahans in the peninsula need to travel back home for family emergencies, including deaths, but the first thing they have to think about is whether they can afford a ticket home. Distance should not be a punishment for the people of Sabah,” he said.
Concerns have mounted over one-way fares from Kuala Lumpur to Kota Kinabalu reaching RM1,329 on Aug 14, while fares from Tawau to Kuala Lumpur reached RM1,759 on Aug 15.
Fares on the same routes during lower-demand periods drop to between RM259 and RM269, rendering the federal government's FLYsiswa RM400 annual subsidy insufficient when peak one-way fares approach or exceed RM1,000.
Stakeholders noted that domestic fares between Sabah and Kuala Lumpur have exceeded international routes such as Kuala Lumpur to Vietnam or Thailand, which average about RM700.
Youth groups have urged authorities to introduce peak-period fare ceilings, expand subsidies for emergency travel, increase seat capacity, and maintain transparent monitoring of fare trends.
