KUALA LUMPUR – Prices of flight tickets from the peninsula to Sarawak saw a staggering increase of up to six times compared to the pre-pandemic period, but this has not been enough to get the government to intervene.
Transport Minister Datuk Seri Wee Ka Siong said that the cabinet has since 2006 agreed to give airline companies a free hand in determining their airfares based on supply and demand, and has maintained that this decision will remain.
He said this was why customers were able to enjoy extremely low ticket prices before the pandemic, due to competition among companies.
While Covid-19 travel restrictions have caused a tremendous reduction in flight frequencies, forcing the airlines to bring up their fares, Wee said passengers can expect rates returning to normal soon, with the majority of restrictions lifted.
Speaking in Parliament, the minister said checks by the Malaysian Aviation Commission between October 2 and 8 on flights from West Malaysia to Sarawak found prices to have increased by between one and six times compared to 2019, although flights to Sabah showed no increase.
“Among others, this (spike in airfare) is due to the implementation of the passenger limit by the Sarawak government as part of its effort to curb Covid-19 infections.
“Presently, the frequency of flights to Sarawak has reduced by 86% compared to the pre-pandemic period,” he said in the Dewan Rakyat, adding that flights to Sabah have also decreased by half.
However, Wee noted that the Sarawak government has recently eased a number of restrictions on the industry, including increasing the number of flights to the state from 22 to 87 a week on September 24, and subsequently to 223 a week beginning yesterday.
Additionally, he noted that the state has also lifted its requirement for airlines to have a 90-minute buffer between flights to allow for sanitisation.
“Flights can now increase their frequencies and offer lower prices. Airfares to Sabah and Sarawak are expected to return to pre-pandemic levels once the flight frequency is back to normal,” he said.
Wee was responding to questions from Dr Kelvin Yii (Bandar Kuching-PH) on the measures taken by the government to control the number of flights and airfares to Sabah and Sarawak.
Ahmad Hassan (Papar-Warisan) meanwhile asked Wee if the government would at least consider setting a ceiling price for those flying on economy class, as these are largely individuals from the lower income group.
Wee said while the government sympathises with the people, it is convinced airfares will return to normal very soon. He maintained that the government will not regulate pricing. – The Vibes, November 2, 2021
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