KUALA LUMPUR: The government has approved 60 additional flights to Kota Bharu, Kelantan, involving 15,962 seats, In conjunction with the Aidilfitri 2024celebration, said Deputy Transport Minister Datuk Hasbi Habibollah (pix).
He said currently, four airlines are providing flight services to Kota Bharu, Kelantan, with a total frequency of 129 flights a week from six destinations, namely Kuala Lumpur, Kota Kinabalu, Johor Bahru, Kuching, Penang and Subang.
“The government always encourages airlines to increase their flight capacity during the festive seasons, especially on routes that have high demand, including to Kota Bharu,“ he said during the question and answer session in the Senate today.
He was responding to a question from Senator Dr. Wan Martina Wan Yusoff who wanted to know the number of domestic flights to Kelantan daily, especially during the festive season and whether the government intended to upgrade the Sultan Ismail Petra Airport (LTSIP) into an international airport.
Hasbi said phase one of the LTSIP upgrading project is expected to be completed on April 30 this year, followed by phase two on Jan 26, 2025.
Upon completion of the project in 2025, LTSIP will be able to accommodate four million passengers every year, he said.
He said that although LTSIP is not categorised as an international airport, it acts as a feeder to the six international airports in the country, namely KLIA, in Kota Kinabalu, Kuching, Penang, Langkawi and Johor Bahru.
“Although LTSIP is not categorised as an international airport, it accepts and can handle international flight operations like the Miri Airport and Ipoh Airport, which have flights to Singapore,“ he said.
Hasni said any proposal to provide and increase the frequency of flight schedules for any route, including to LTSIP, is determined by the airlines themselves based on the commercial viability of the routes.
However, he said it was subject to approval by the Malaysian Aviation Commission (MAVCOM) and the Civil Aviation Authority (CAAM).
