KUALA LUMPUR: Surprise checks were carried out by the Malaysian Aviation Commission (Mavcom) at the three main airports in the country during the travelling period for Hari Raya.
The checks were carried out at the KL International Airport, Terminal 1 and Terminal 2 as well as the Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport (Subang Airport) to assess the readiness of airlines and airports in anticipation of the increase in passenger traffic.
The commission, in a statement on Thursday, said that it began the inspections on April 17 and would continue its inspections throughout the Hari Raya Aidilfitri travelling period.
During his site visit, Mavcom executive chairman Datuk Seri Saripuddin Kasim said based on the number of flights it approved, close to 700,000 passengers were expected to travel during this Hari Raya Aidilfitri period.
“Our surprise inspection of Terminal 1 and 2 as well as Subang Airport is aimed at identifying areas of improvement, and we are working closely with the airport operator and airlines to address any issue that arose,” he said.
“From our checks and review, the commission is pleased to report that the level of preparedness for both airlines and airport operators at all passenger touchpoints is satisfactory in anticipation of the increase in passenger traffic,” he added.
Since early March, Mavcom and the relevant authorities have encouraged airlines to offer reasonable airfares and have approved all additional capacity requested by airlines, including offering fixed fares to major destinations in Malaysia.
Mavcom had approved 527 additional flights for the period April 15 to May 6 from six airlines, particularly to meet the high demand for flights between Peninsular Malaysia and Sabah and Sarawak.
This was on top of the 5,617 initial flights scheduled to operate within Peninsular Malaysia, 2,149 flights between Peninsular Malaysia and Sarawak, and 2,033 flights between Peninsular Malaysia and Sabah.
