Festive travel relief: Government subsidy keeps East Malaysia tickets at RM499 instead of nearly RM1,000

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 5 — Malaysians flying home to Sabah and Sarawak during festive seasons would have to pay nearly RM1,000 each way if not for the government’s airfare subsidy programme, Transport Minister Anthony Loke Siew Fook said today.

He said the scheme, which caps ticket prices at RM499, has significantly reduced travel costs for those returning to East Malaysia for celebrations such as Chinese New Year, Hari Raya Aidilfitri, Gawai, Kaamatan and Christmas.

“Without the subsidy, the one-way fare from Kuala Lumpur to Tawau, Sandakan or Kota Kinabalu can reach up to RM1,000 depending on demand, booking time and seat availability,” Loke told Dewan Rakyat during the question and answer session.

He cited that before the programme’s introduction in 2024, the average fare for Kuala Lumpur–Sandakan flights during Chinese New Year in 2023 was RM907.

Loke said that last year, the Transport Ministry spent RM11 million to subsidise nearly 27,000 flight tickets priced above the previous RM599 ceiling. 

This rose to RM19.5 million in 2025 due to the lower price ceiling and increased number of flights.

He added that the ministry will engage airlines on displaying the amount of subsidy applied to each ticket so passengers are aware of the government assistance.