You’d think that flying to states within Malaysia would be cheaper than flying overseas, but sadly this isn’t the case when it comes to Sabah.
As such, this has prompted a Member of Parliament (MP) to highlight the issue and urge the government to come up with a solution in making flight tickets more affordable in the future.
‘Why is it more expensive to fly to Sabah than overseas?’
During a Parliamentary session yesterday (Oct 23), Kinabatangan MP Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin questioned why Malaysians have to fork out more money to travel from Peninsular Malaysia to Sabah and vice versa.
He added that during this week, the price of an economy class one-way ticket was at RM1,700 — an amount that was way more than an international flight.
To Singapore and the Philippines, tickets cost only RM700; to Indonesia, it’s RM600, yet to Sabah it’s RM1,700. This is outrageous!
“I call upon the Transport Minister to look into this matter because it’s a burden for the people of Sabah, especially those who travel (to Peninsular Malaysia) for business and so on,” he said.
According to NST, Transport Minister Anthony Loke announced last month that two subsidy initiatives for domestic flight ticket purchases will continue in order to help Malaysians cope with the rising cost of living.
It includes ongoing subsidies for students of higher education institutions travelling on domestic routes (FLYsiswa) and a price cap policy for flights during festive seasons.
Last December, a proposal to subsidise the purchase of one-way economy class flight tickets exceeding RM599 from the Peninsular to Sabah, Sarawak, and Labuan during the Christmas holidays received approval from the Cabinet.
This was also extended other holidays like Hari Raya Aidilfitri, Kaamatan, and Gawai, for three days each.
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