Loke said the price of a one-way flight ticket to the East Malaysian states will be capped at RM300.

“However, this price does not include taxes and fees,” he said in a press conference today.

The government is expected to spend between RM5.8 million to RM11.4 million to subsidise the flight tickets for Sabahans and Sarawakians.

Loke said the government will purchase all remaining one-way flight tickets from the peninsula to Sabah and Sarawak on the three days prior to the respective dates of the two festivals for this initiative.

Kaamatan falls on May 30 while Gawai will be celebrated on June 1.

The sale of these fixed-fare flights will begin on May 20, from the various airlines’ websites.

“As of May 17, there are 17,708 flight tickets remaining between Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah and Sarawak (for the relevant dates),” he said.

Loke also announced that the ministry, in collaboration with Batik Air, will operate special charter flights from Johor Bahru to Sibu since all flight tickets have been sold out.

These special charter flights will operate once a day, subject to actual demand, and will also be set at RM300 per ticket, not inclusive of tax and fees.

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