SEPANG, Jan 17 — The Malaysian Aviation Commission (Mavcom) has approved 25 additional flights to domestic destinations in conjunction with the Chinese New Year from January 18 to 31.

With these extra flights, a total of 316 additional flights have been approved compared with the 291 additional flights announced by Transport Minister Anthony Loke Siew Fook on January 6, following requests from airlines and as part of the effort to deal with the flight fare hike during festive seasons.

Mavcom executive chairman Datuk Seri Saripuddin Kassim said the additional flights involved 134 flights offered by AirAsia, Batik Air (69), Malaysia Airlines (53), SKS Airways (44) and Firefly (16).

"With these additional flights, the airport is expected to be busier starting tomorrow,” he told Bernama and RTM after conducting an inspection at Kuala Lumpur International Airport 2 (klia2) here today to assess the operational readiness of airlines and airports including the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) to handle high passenger traffic in conjunction with the festive season this weekend.

He said Mavcom had issued a letter to local airlines yesterday (January 16) to remind them to comply with all flight schedules and regulations.

On flight delays or cancellations, Saripuddin said the Malaysian Aviation Consumer Protection Code 2016 (MACPC) stipulated rules that need to be followed including providing food and internet access for delays of two hours or more.

"It is true that there are airlines that comply with the rules but it depends on the passengers, sometimes they refuse the service, it is their choice.

"We just want airlines to be responsible as set by Mavcom, because all passengers pay a passenger service charge, so they deserve to get the minimum standard of service at the airport,” he added. — Bernama