Prime Minister Dato Sri Ismail Sabri has asked the Ministry of Transport to instruct airlines to stop profiteering and reduce airline ticket prices to Sabah and Sarawak.
The PM was notified of the soaring airline ticket prices when netizens complained on social media about airlines charging 500% more than usual for the return flights to Sabah. Recently, Sabah Government issues a statement on plans to operate its own airlines to mitigate the situation.
Airlines like AirAsia, and Malaysian Airlines are among the regular flights to Sabah and Sarawak, a quick check on Traveloka shows a one-way flight costs around RM500 on MAS and not much difference on low-cost carrier AirAsia. With the festive season holidays coming up, ticket prices are expected to rise even higher!
Transport Minister, Datuk Seri Dr. Wee Ka Siong has also instructed MAVCOM to look into complaints on price rise for airline tickets, there have yet to be concrete solutions to the situation as of press time.
Airlines have remarked that the cost of flying has gone up significantly due to the confluence of factors including fuel price, Covid-19 SOP adherence, and the high maintenance cost of planes.
