PUTRAJAYA – A total of 1,520 travellers flew to Langkawi on eight flights under the Langkawi domestic tourism bubble pilot project today.
Transport Minister Datuk Seri Wee Ka Siong said they travelled via Malaysia Airlines (four flights), Air Asia (three flights) and a Malindo flight.
“I saw that some passengers had brought their own Covid-19 self-test kits and some had bought them from sales counters at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) and klia2,” he said in a Facebook post today.
He said during his inspection at the airports, one passenger tested positive for Covid-19 and the necessary follow-up action was taken.
“Family members of the passenger also did not board the flight as they were listed as close contacts,” he said.
Wee said the Rapid Test Kit-Antigen (RTK-Ag) screening process, aided by Health Ministry officials, ran smoothly.
Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB) general manager (operations) Shahrunnizam Abd Jamil accompanied Wee during his airport inspection.
Wee said the Covid-19 screening is to ensure everyone’s safety and the pilot project’s success.
He also said French and South Korean tourists whom he interacted with expressed their happiness that the domestic tourism sector has been revived with this project.
They also welcomed the government’s efforts to improve standard operating procedures (SOPs), including subjecting travellers to Covid-19 screening to ensure everyone’s safety.
Wee noted that the airports made quieter by the Covid-19 pandemic were lively once more, with plenty of smiles from airline staff who were more than happy to be of service again.
He also reminded all parties to always adhere to SOPs to ensure the government’s recovery efforts for the country, especially the economy and the tourism sector, are successful. – Bernama, September 16, 2021
