291 additional flights approved for CNY

A total of 291 additional flights to various domestic destinations have been approved by the Malaysian Aviation Commission (Mavcom) for the Chinese New Year celebrations in a bid to overcome the issue of flight fare hikes during festive seasons.

Transport Minister Anthony Loke Siew Fook said the additional flights approved for the travel period of Jan 18 to 31 involved several airlines including Batik Air, AirAsia, Malaysia Airlines, MyAirline and SKS Airways.

"This is an effective approach to deal with flight fare hikes during festive seasons, which have been an unsolved issue for quite some time.

"This approach will also be used during other festive seasons, including Hari Raya," he told a press conference in Sepang today. 

Batik Air today launched 35 additional flights to Sarawak and Sabah at a fixed fare of RM299 to Kuching and RM399 to Kota Kinabalu in a bid to ensure a balance of supply and demand for tickets while reducing high pricing.

The airline is also offering 42 additional flights from Subang Skypark to Johor Bharu, Penang, Kota Bharu and Langkawi at a fixed fare of RM259 one way.

Meanwhile, Loke said the three new destinations introduced by Batik Air, namely Tokyo, Sapporo and Osaka, will strengthen bilateral ties in various sectors, including trade and tourism, between Malaysia and Japan.