KUCHING: AirAsia will resume three routes involving Sarawak from late October, while the airline, Malaysia Airlines and Firefly are also increasing flight frequencies on key Sarawak services ahead of periods of higher travel demand.

Sarawak Minister for Transport Dato Sri Lee Kim Shin said the latest developments were conveyed during separate courtesy calls and briefings by representatives of AirAsia and Malaysia Aviation Group (MAG) on Tuesday.

Dato Sri Lee welcomed the additional capacity, saying the Ministry of Transport Sarawak (MOTS) had been in continuous engagement with airlines on the need to maintain sufficient flight services to, from and within Sarawak.

“For Sarawak, adequate flight capacity is very important, especially during school holidays and festive seasons when demand increases significantly.

“We welcome the resumption of routes and additional frequencies, which will provide passengers with more travel options,” he said in a statement on Thursday.

For the record, AirAsia will resume the Kuching-Kota Bharu service on 27 October, followed by Bintulu-Kota Kinabalu on 1 November and Sibu-Kota Kinabalu on 2 November.

The airline will also increase frequencies on several key routes from November, with its Kuala Lumpur-Kuching service set to rise from 63 to 77 flights per week, while additional frequencies are also planned for services involving Sibu, Miri, Bintulu, Penang, Johor Bahru and Pontianak.

The plans were conveyed by AirAsia Sarawak Affairs Director Hamdan Mohamad during his meeting with Dato Sri Lee.

Meanwhile, MAG briefed the Minister that Malaysia Airlines plans to add a combined 11 weekly flights between Kuala Lumpur and Kuching, Miri, Sibu and Bintulu, increasing the total from 86 to 97 flights per week under its 2027 schedule.

Firefly, which is also part of MAG, is planning to increase its Kuala Lumpur-Kuching service to 14 flights per week from February 2027.

Dato Sri Lee said the additional services by the airlines would strengthen overall flight capacity serving Sarawak and provide more options for passengers.

During his meeting with AirAsia, he also raised concerns over passenger complaints about high last-minute airfares, with MOTS receiving feedback of fares involving Sarawak exceeding RM1,000 in some instances.

“We understand that airfares are influenced by demand, available capacity and the timing of bookings.

“However, not everyone who buys a ticket at the last minute is travelling by choice. Some need to travel urgently because of family matters, medical reasons or other unforeseen circumstances,” he said.

Therefore, Dato Sri Lee suggested that AirAsia explore whether a reasonable fare ceiling or other appropriate mechanism could be considered to prevent last-minute fares from becoming excessively high.

“We understand the commercial considerations involved in airline operations, but we hope there can be a reasonable balance between commercial viability and the needs of passengers,” he said.

He further stressed that MOTS would continue to engage airlines on flight capacity, connectivity and airfares to ensure sufficient and reasonably accessible air services for Sarawak, particularly during periods of high passenger demand. -UKASnews

Prepared by: Ryan Lim