KUCHING, March 24 — The State Disaster Management Committee (SDMC) has approved AirAsia requests to operate ferry flight (nil passengers) from Kota Kinabalu to Miri and commercial passengers flight from Miri to Kota Kinabalu on April 1 and 10, said Transport Minister Datuk Lee Kim Shin.
In a statement today, Lee said SDMC and his ministry have received requests from airlines to operate additional flights going out of Sarawak to Peninsular Malaysia and Sabah.
“These requests have been studied and approved by SDMC on case-to-case basis,” he said.
Lee informed that Airasia will also operate ferry flight from Kota Kinabalu to Kuching and commercial passengers flight from Kuching to Kota Kinabalu on April 2 and 9.
“Besides, on April 2, Airasia will also operate ferry flight from Johor Baharu to Kuching and commercial passengers flight from Kuching to Johor Baru,” he added.
Lee said that recently, they have also received requests from Sarawak students who are studying in Sabah to have flights from Kuching to Kota Kinabalu and Miri to Kota Kinabalu.
“Based on the requests received, we have liaised with Malaysia Airlines, Airasia, Malindo and MASwings to consider operating special flights from Kuching to Kota Kinabalu and Miri to Kota Kinabalu to meet the demand from our students.
“For this purpose, we advise our students to contact directly the airlines to book their flight tickets so that the airlines will in turn apply for special flights from SDMC to the aforementioned destinations,” he said.
Lee hoped that this approach will be able to help students to return to their campuses and resume their new semester timely, which will begin their fourth week of class conducted physically starting on April 5. — Borneo Post Online
