Loke said the matter was discussed at the Cabinet meeting this morning amid concerns that the cost of flight tickets between East and Peninsular Malaysia would rise steeply following the reduction in Malaysia Airlines’s flights.

“The Cabinet meeting agreed to maintain the ceiling price of RM599 three days before the festivities, including Christmas, Hari Raya, Chinese New Year and Gawai.

“As for flight frequencies, we will try to get other airlines to maintain or increase them, especially for the East Malaysia region,” he told a media conference at KLIA Terminal 2.

Last December, Loke announced that Putrajaya had agreed to subsidise economy-class flight tickets exceeding RM599 for a one-way trip from West Malaysia to Sabah, Sarawak and Labuan for festive seasons.

The subsidy does not include taxes and fees.

Meanwhile, Loke said the government would continue with the FLYsiswa initiative, introduced last year, which offers a subsidy of RM300 to students studying across the South China Sea to purchase flight tickets home.

On Malaysia Airlines’s decision to reduce flights, Loke reiterated that the steps taken were necessary to overcome technical issues.

“Because of technical issues, it had to reduce the flight frequency to ensure the planes are sent for maintenance servicing.

“We are also expecting new planes to arrive in a month or two,” he said.

Previously, the airline’s parent body, Malaysia Aviation Group, said it was supposed to receive 17 new aircraft this year but had only received four from the manufacturers.

It had attributed operational problems to global spare parts shortages and delays in engine repairs and overhauls.

It announced the cutting of flights and routes until December after recent service disruptions affected Malaysia Airlines, Firefly and Amal services.