THE government has introduced a subsidy initiative worth RM300 for the purchase of flight tickets for public university students for domestic routes between the peninsula, Sabah, Sarawak and Labuan from August 15.

Transport Minister Anthony Loke said participating airlines will issue a digital voucher worth RM300 to each eligible student to redeem when buying flight tickets for domestic routes.

“This subsidy is only valid for the purchase of one-way and return economy class flight tickets between the students’ place of origin and place of study,” he told a media conference in Putrajaya today.

Loke said the initiative, which the cabinet agreed to at today’s meeting, would benefit over 56,000 public university students nationwide, with the overall cost estimated at RM16.8 million.

He said if a purchased ticket costs less than RM300, the balance in the digital voucher can be used for the next ticket.

He said the vouchers can only be used to purchase Malaysia Airlines, AirAsia, Batik Air, Firefly and MYAirline tickets, and the deadline to redeem the vouchers is October 31. 

To apply for the subsidy, public university students must check their eligibility on the Transport Ministry’s website, but the link will be released later, Loke said. 

“If they are not eligible, they can appeal to the Higher Education Ministry through their respective universities or apply for a subsidy for the purchase of flight tickets on the websites of the selected airlines,” he said. – Bernama, July 12, 2023.