KUALA LUMPUR (Jan 10): The Malaysian Aviation Commission (Mavcom) has approved all 291 additional flights applied by airlines for the upcoming Chinese New Year period between Jan 18 to Jan 31, in an effort to meet travel demand and curb soaring airfares.

These additional flights went to AirAsia (134), Malaysia Airlines (53), Batik Air (44), SKS Airways (44) and Firefly (16) to all destinations in Malaysia during the festive period.

Routes with the highest number of extra flights for the season would be between routes to Sabah and Sarawak with 205 additional flights, said Mavcom in a statement on Tuesday.

“In total, the commission has approved an additional 33.5% extra domestic flights for 2023 compared with the 2022 Lunar New Year festive period,” it said.

Mavcom also instructed all airlines to strengthen their flight disruption management, including additional measures to deploy dedicated Delay Handling Teams on ground for any flight delay of two hours or more.

“The ground staff deployed, must be empowered to assist, and guide consumers at all Malaysian airports in the event of a delay or any flight disruption.

“This obligation is in place to ensure airlines improve passenger communication and provide the necessary care and requirements as per the MACPC (Malaysian Aviation Consumer Protection Code 2016),” it said.

The instructions to airlines to immediately rectify any issues experienced by passengers came following recent flight disruptions, said Mavcom.

“While Mavcom notes that airlines have Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for handling flight disruptions, the management of these flight disruptions must be further strengthened and requires urgent attention.

“As such, the instructions aim to immediately address concerns regarding airlines’ management and handling of flight delays and cancellations, especially during important festive holidays when air travel is expected to increase,” it added.