Labuan-Kota Kinabalu airfare soars to RM1,207, pricier than flights to Seoul, Bangkok
For many in Labuan, air travel is not a luxury but a necessity – yet tickets for the 35-minute domestic flight are as high as RM1,207 for a one-way trip on July 2.
By comparison, tickets for flights from Kota Kinabalu to Bangkok, which takes about three hours, start at RM411, while flights to Seoul, a journey of over five hours, are priced from RM661.
David Lee, 49, who frequently travels between the two locations for an oil and gas business, told Bernama the fares were "absurd" and "unacceptable".
"I was planning my usual trip to Kota Kinabalu for a meeting and was shocked to see fares exceeding RM1,200. How can a flight under one hour cost more than an international trip to Korea?" he said.
Another traveller, Nurul Shafiqah Abdullah, 34, a government officer based in Labuan, said such high fares strain those who rely on the route for essential reasons.
"This isn't a holiday route. It's a lifeline for many who depend on travelling for medical check-ups, work commitments or family matters. These prices are pushing people to the edge," she said.
For Raymond Chong, 41, who runs a logistics company, the limited choice of carriers only adds to the frustration.
"It's either MasWings or Malaysia Airlines, sometimes small planes, sometimes a Boeing. There's no real competition, so you either pay or don't go," he said.
Local entrepreneur Faridah Musa, 45, urged the federal government and aviation authorities to address the pricing mechanism, calling the issue more than just a travel inconvenience.
"We are an island with no road access. Flights are essential, not optional. At this point, it's not just an inconvenience, it's an economic disadvantage for us."
She said calls are mounting for transparency in fare structures and for greater efforts to introduce more airline competition to ensure affordable travel for the people of Labuan. – Bernama
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New Straits Times
23 minutes ago
- New Straits Times
MyCV cracks down on companies owing over RM25mil
KUALA LUMPUR: MyCreative Ventures (MyCV) is taking enforcement action against 19 companies owing a total of RM29.5 million in outstanding loans. Communications Minister Datuk Fahmi Fadzil said that of the 21 cases brought to court, two borrower companies had fully repaid their loans amounting to RM1,005,493.15. "As of Aug 15, 49 companies were found to be delinquent in their loan repayments. Legal action has been taken against 28 companies, with 21 cases concluded in court. Of these, two companies settled their debts in full, while enforcement proceedings are under way against 19 companies involving RM29,525,164.20," he said in a parliamentary written reply. MyCV, an agency under the ministry, supports local creative industry players by providing financial facilities in the form of equity investment, loans, or grants. Fahmi was responding to Jimmy Puah (PH-Tebrau), who had asked what measures were being taken against borrowers who defaulted or wilfully refused to repay government loans. He said that MyCV enforced compliance by issuing reminder notices requiring repayment within 14 days, engaging borrowers to restructure loans, and sending letters of demand. Where necessary, legal action is pursued, including lawsuits, company winding-up, or bankruptcy proceedings against guarantors after obtaining judgment. "Every step taken by MyCV is in line with court directives to ensure borrowers are held accountable and the law is respected. This is vital to ensure funds can be recycled to support other creative industry players in need of financial assistance," he added.
The Star
an hour ago
- The Star
Fadillah: High time to reimagine water sector
KUALA LUMPUR: The country's pipeline systems must be modernised to strengthen operational performance and reimagine the water sector as a model of resilience, sustainability and service excellence, says Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof (pic). The Deputy Prime Minister said the water sector is at a defining point, with latest decisions shaping the reliability, sustainability and equity of water services for future generations. Opening the Water Malaysia 2025 Specialised Conference and Exhibition here yesterday, he said the event theme reflected the urgent need to modernise the pipeline systems. 'It is also to strengthen operational efficiency and address the pressing challenges of leakages and (service) disruptions, and the opportunity to reimagine Malaysia's water sector,' he said in his address, Bernama reported. The Water Malaysia 2025 Specialised Conference and Exhibition carries the theme 'Pipeline Materials, Design, Construction, Monitoring and Maintenance for Water and Sewerage Systems'. Fadillah, who is also Energy Transition and Water Transformation Minister, said reforms will be anchored on four strategic pillars – efficiency first, digital transformation, resilience planning and stakeholder engagement. 'Efficiency must be integrated from design to operation, taking into account not only initial costs but also the full lifecycle value, environmental impact and benefits to the community.' Fadillah also said the government will adopt condition-based asset replacement programmes, standardise materials to prevent corrosion and set up water knowledge hubs as centres of excellence to capture, share and scale best practices in rehabilitation and rapid response. 'These are not small measures. They are bold steps towards a future where our assets last longer, our water systems are resilient and the rakyat experiences a higher quality of service every day,' he added. Fadillah said the transformation requires financing that rewards innovation, adding that water utility funding will be restructured through performance-linked mechanisms while green investment instruments, including bonds, will be mobilised to accelerate sustainable infrastructure. 'These are not just financial instruments. They are investments in resilience, predictive maintenance and smart infrastructure deployment. 'The true return will be measured not merely in ringgit, but in trust, sustainability and service excellence for the rakyat.' Fadillah said technology alone could not drive change as it is engineers, technicians, operators and leaders who were the true drivers of progress. As such, a future-ready workforce will be built through water academies, mentoring programmes and continuous talent development initiatives, he said. He said accountability and public confidence will be reinforced through stricter pipeline quality standards, mandatory inspections and transparent reporting via a Pipeline Accountability Portal, which offers real-time updates on disruptions, leakage rates and resolution timelines. 'Today, we are laying down not only pipelines of steel, but also pipelines of trust, innovation and hope, ensuring Malaysia's water sector becomes a benchmark for the region,' he said. Malaysian Water Association president Mohamad Hairi Basri, in his address, said the event provided a strategic platform to strengthen cross-sector collaboration, promote sustainable practices, enhance technical capabilities and create opportunities for innovation and investment. The two-day conference brings together engineers, industry practitioners, suppliers and stakeholders from across Malaysia and the region.
The Star
2 hours ago
- The Star
Vehicle sales drop 5% y-o-y
MAA reported that the year-to-date TIV was 5% lower than the corresponding period last year. KUALA LUMPUR: Sales for Malaysia's automotive sector jumped 28% to 70,057 units in July, compared with 54,863 units in June, according to the Malaysian Automotive Association (MAA). MAA said in a statement that the higher total industry volume (TIV) was attributed to a full working month of 23 working days, compared with 19 working days in June, and low production base in June due to the Hari Raya Aidiladha shutdown. However, MAA reported that the year-to-date TIV was 5% lower than the same corresponding period last year. 'On a year-on-year basis, the TIV for July was 5% lower than the 73,501 units recorded a year earlier, with 64,438 passenger vehicles and 5,619 commercial vehicles sold. — Bernama
