KUALA LUMPUR – Domestic flight ticket prices for routes to Sabah and Sarawak will return to standard prices when the total flight frequency is back to normal, said Deputy Transport Minister Datuk Henry Sum Agong.
He said the government would continue to monitor flight ticket prices for all domestic routes through the Malaysian Aviation Commission (Mavcom), including routes between the peninsula and Sabah and Sarawak.
He said high flight ticket prices were a result of the flight capacity limit set by the Sarawak government as part of the state government's efforts to tackle the Covid-19 pandemic.
“At that time, the flight frequency to Sarawak dropped by 94% compared with the period before Covid-19, while for flights between the peninsula and Sabah, the flight frequency dropped by 89% compared with the period before Covid-19,” he said in the Dewan Rakyat today.
He was responding to a question from Lukanisman Awang Sauni (GPS-Sibuti) on the government’s move to reduce the price of flight tickets from Sarawak to the peninsula and Sabah, which were very expensive during the Covid-19 pandemic, and what the remedial measures were for the matter.
Henry also said that air ticket prices are determined using a dynamic pricing mechanism and the concept of cross-subsidisation, as profitable flights cover the operating costs of non-profitable routes.
He said Mavcom’s monitoring between September 26 to October 2 for travel after October 8 found that Kuala Lumpur to Kuching flights recorded lower ticket prices between 29% and 74% cheaper compared with ticket prices in 2019.
He said other routes such as Kuala Lumpur to Miri and Kuala Lumpur to Sibu still record high prices of between RM530 to RM1600 for one way trips, while for trips from the peninsula to Sabah, ticket prices are higher from 8% to 163% compared with ticket prices in 2019.
In a separate development, Henry said the final approval for the proposed construction of the Kulim International Airport Development Project (KXP) will only be considered when the National Airport Strategic Plan study is completed.
“In this regard, any planning of commercial projects related to the airport in conjunction with the opening of KXP will only be determined after the proposed construction of KXP is finalised by the government,” he said.
He was responding to a question from Karupaiya Mutusami (Padang Serai-PH) on the planning and commercial projects to be done in conjunction with the opening of Kulim International Airport. – Bernama, October 11, 2021
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