Add Flights, Reduce Fares For Festive Season - Dr Wee

According to Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong, increasing flight frequencies during peak season is helpful in managing congestion and reducing air fares.

According to the former transport minister, people are looking forward to more flights and lower tickets, particularly those who want to return to their hometowns for the holidays to be with their loved ones. He is also convinced that this can be accomplished, especially with the new Kuala Lumpur Air Traffic Control Complex (KLATCC), which will boost the movement of flights at KLIA and KLIA2 to 108 an hour with the simultaneous usage of three lanes, compared to only 84 an hour with only two lanes previously. “In May when the borders were reopened, many airlines were having difficulties providing additional flights because many of their aircraft were grounded during the Covid-19 lockdown.

"As a result, they had to go through a pretty lengthy maintenance, repair, and operations (MRO) routine before being allowed to operate for the safety of the people," he said on Facebook on Tuesday (Dec 27). However, he stated that because more aircraft have gone through the MRO process, airlines should be able to provide extra flights at a lesser cost. "I am convinced the Transport Ministry under the unity government will continue to work on this subject. "Hopefully, airlines will be able to offer extra flights at midnight with reduced costs, especially as the holiday season approaches," he said. Dr. Wee was reacting to the increase in return airfare from Peninsular Malaysia to Sabah and Sarawak during the holiday season. He also stated that the Malaysian Aviation Commission (Mavcom) and the Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia (CAAM) had discussions with airlines on extra flights.

Furthermore, Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB) was advised a few months ago to expand operations during peak season. “This was agreed to in principle. “Very soon we will be celebrating Chinese New Year and after that, Hari Raya Aidilfitri. “We hope that Malaysia Airlines, AirAsia, Batik Air and new local airline MyAirline, which started its operations in December, can implement these suggestions and offer cheap airfares during festive seasons,” he said.