The Malaysian Insight

PUTRAJAYA will not impose any price restrictions on domestic airline ticket prices for the time being, said Kamaruddin Jaafar.

The deputy transport minister hoped airlines will be reasonable and not manipulate ticket prices during festivals.

“The government will not impose ceiling and floor prices for domestic flight tickets to avoid any price manipulation by airline companies, where average prices become higher even during off-peak seasons if they are imposed,” Kamaruddin said in the Dewan Rakyat today.

“If the flights during the festive season increase, we believe that the prices of the tickets will be cheaper,” he added.

The PKR man also said the government has already negotiated with airline operators to fix “market driven” prices instead of exorbitant rates.

The Bandar Tun Razak lawmaker added the airline companies have also agreed to increase flights by 20% during peak festive seasons including Hari Raya Aidilfitri, Chinese New Year, Hari Gawai and Kaamatan.

Kamaruddin said the Pakatan Harapan government has already consulted the operators involved, including airports and cabbies, in order to accommodate the influx of passengers.

“In relation to that, the government will get the support of airport operators, ground services, ERL, and taxis to expand their services in the seven-day period,” he said.

The deputy minister also said Malaysian Aviation Commission (Mavcom) is in charge of regulating prices and if the regulation fails, the ministry will not hesitate to fix prices.  

“If the measures fail to control prices, then the government will reconsider implementing ceiling and floor prices,” said Kamarudin.

Transport Minister Anthony Loke previously said there will be no ceiling prices for tickets during festive seasons but cautioned operators to increase flights. – October 29, 2018.