The government is to consider hiking its departure tax, which is currently among the lowest in Asia, at the country's 39 airports, a report said today.

"I am in the midst of preparing a paper to the cabinet for the final decision. We studied it very carefully from all angles," Transport Minister Chan Kong Choy was quoted as saying by the official Bernama news agency.

He did not give further details.

Rising operating costs

The New Straits Times said the international departure tax could be raised to RM80 from the current RM45.

Domestic passengers now pay RM6.

Bernama said Malaysia Airports was considering raising the departure fees to cover rising operating costs, finance future expansion and repay some RM857 million that it owed the government as of the end of September.