Communications minister Fahmi Fadzil said the offer is part of a collaboration between the ministry and AirAsia in conjunction with Malaysia’s chairmanship of Asean this year.

Bookings will be open until Dec 31, 2025, with the travel period set from April to September 2026. The information department will announce the full booking details and mechanism soon.

“Thank you, AirAsia, for this generous initiative. It not only recognises the contributions of our media practitioners but also encourages greater connectivity and engagement within the Asean region,” Fahmi said at the National Journalists Day (Hawana) 2025 Summit at the World Trade Centre Kuala Lumpur today.

In a separate announcement, Fahmi said the founding board of the Malaysian Media Council (MMC) had been finalised and comprises 12 members, representing various sectors of the media industry.

They include four representatives each from media companies, media associations and practitioners (including independent media), and the non-media sector.

“MMC will be making the announcement soon,” he said.

Among the appointees are National Union of Journalists (NUJM) secretary-general Teh Athira Yusof, Astro Awani editor-in-chief Ashwad Ismail, and Gerakan Media Merdeka (Geramm) director Radzi Razak.

Later, during a press conference, Fahmi said the MMC will come into force today as it had already been gazetted.

“With the establishment of the MMC, many of the concerns or issues that media practitioners may have wanted to raise can now be addressed through a meaningful platform that will continue to operate regardless of who is in government,” he said.