Ismail Sabri calls on airlines to reduce ticket prices to pre-MCO level
Airlines should reduce ticket prices back to the pre-movement control order (MCO) level following the government's decision to allow planes to fly with full capacity, Defence Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob told the media in Putrajaya today.
"We are aware of the exorbitant flight ticket prices.
Airlines should reduce ticket prices back to the pre-movement control order (MCO) level following the government's decision to allow planes to fly with full capacity, Defence Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob told the media in Putrajaya today.
"We are aware of the exorbitant flight ticket prices.
"We understand the high prices happened because the National Security Council had previously ordered the passenger capacity (of flights) to be a maximum of 66 percent.
"But we eventually allowed flights with full capacity.
"Our opinion is that the ticket prices go back to the pre-MCO level," said Ismail, who is also in charge of the security cluster.
He stressed that reduced passenger capacity shouldn't be an excuse for the flight companies anymore to increase ticket prices.
Ismail said the government also asked for special prices to be given to school and university students as well as teachers.
He said the Transport Ministry would engage in discussion with airlines to find a solution to this matter.
On another matter, Ismail Sabri said the National Security Council was in the midst of discussions on the categorisation of provinces in China based on risk zones.
This will become a guide when considering whether Chinese workers who come from green zones can enter Malaysia.
"Although China is huge, we still consider the whole country as high risk.
"For now, the NSC is discussing whether to categorise the provinces in China. Maybe some of them are in red zones while others are in the green zones," he said.
Nod for foreign students
Earlier, the senior minister said Sabah had never sought discussions with the federal government or the NSC on allowing workers from China to enter the state.
He said this in response to a question on whether Sabah had discussed the matter with Putrajaya.
"I believe Sabah had decided on the matter without discussing with the federal government or at the special meeting among ministers," he said.
However, Ismail noted that foreign workers holding a Category 1 employment pass have been allowed to enter the country.
In regard to Friday prayers, Ismail said foreign students were now allowed to join congregational prayers but only at the mosque in their respective campuses.
"Any foreign student who returns to this country would have undergone a swab test.
"They are thus allowed to pray in a mosque on their campus," he said.
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