Lots of additional flights approved for CNY

PETALING JAYA: A total of 60 additional one-way flights for the upcoming Chinese New Year festival have been approved by the Malaysian Aviation Commission (Mavcom), with the most popular route being from Kuala Lumpur to Tawau, Sabah.

Of the 60, 26 are flights operated by AirAsia followed by 20 from Malaysia Airlines, a Mavcom spokesman said yesterday.

“There are 10 flights from Firefly and four were approved for Batik Air,” the spokesman said.

These flights will be for the festive travelling period from Feb 5-15.

Due to high demand, an additional 10 flights were added on the Kuala Lumpur-Tawau route for the festive period, the spokesman said.

He added that an additional 20 flights were approved for several existing routes within Peninsular Malaysia while 15 more flights were each added for routes between Peninsular Malaysia and Sabah and Sarawak.

“Also, seven additional flights were granted for inter-Sabah routes and three were approved for routes between Sabah and Sarawak,” he said.

Mavcom reminded all airlines and airports to get their operations ready for the travel rush during the festive period to ensure passengers are not inconvenienced.

“Airlines should adhere to their published flight schedules and approved slots to avoid unwarranted flight disruptions. Meanwhile, airport operators must ensure smooth operations at the airport.

“The commission will continue to monitor airlines’ flight performance as well as airports’ operational performance, as part of its mandate of ensuring consumers’ rights are continuously upheld and protected in accordance with the Malaysian Aviation Consumer Protection Code 2016,” the spokesman said.

Mavcom also advised the public to submit any complaints of flight disruptions or unsatisfactory service from airlines to the commission’s https://flysmart.my portal.

Consumers may also contact its consumer hotline at 1-800-18-6966 for calls within Malaysia or +603-7651 2777 for calls outside of Malaysia.