THE frequency of domestic flights, including those to Sabah and Sarawak, will be increased in conjunction with Hari Raya.

Transport Minister Anthony Loke said many additional flights have been approved.

He said his office was informed of the increase in flights by the Malaysian Aviation Commission yesterday.

Speaking at a press conference at the Salak Tinggi Depot in Sepang today, Loke said the government will implement fixed prices for flights.

“With that, flight capacity will increase, seat capacity will certainly increase and the average (ticket) price is expected to decrease,” Loke said.

Malaysia Aviation Group’s (MAG) airlines, namely Malaysia Airlines, Firefly, and MASwings, will offer over 18,000 additional seats during the peak travel period to accommodate the expected domestic travel surge from April 18 to May 1, 2023. 

This is on top of the additional 20,000 seats launched on March 29, 2023, which are currently almost fully sold out, the group said in a statement today. 

MAG said the airlines will use the wide-body Airbus 330 on several routes in Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah, and Sarawak. 

“With the additional seats, the fares will be dynamically adjusted downwards, making it more affordable for passengers to travel back to their hometown for the Hari Raya celebrations,” it said, adding that Firefly has also increased its flight frequency to Kota Baru and Kota Kinabalu. 

Passengers are encouraged to plan their travels ahead of time to enjoy the best deals on airfares, said Ahmad Luqman Mohd Azmi, MAG chief executive officer of Airlines.

“As of February 2023, our capacity reached 85% of 2019’s and we are expecting a positive increase, especially with the upcoming festive season and school holidays,” he said. 

“We encourage everyone to take advantage of this additional capacity and experience the joy of reuniting with their loved ones as we are committed to supporting the government in making travel accessible for the rakyat,” he said. 

For more information on booking flights, visit the official Malaysia Airlines, Firefly, and MASwings website. – Bernama, April 6, 2023.