Extending RM400 credit to private students could cost millions and would require substantial new funding: Loke
PETALING JAYA: Financial constraints remain the main hurdle to expanding the FlySiswa flight voucher programme to include students from private institutions of higher learning, although the government is open to considering the move, said Transport Minister Anthony Loke.
He said while the initiative has benefited thousands of students from public universities, extending it to private institutions would significantly increase government expenditure.
“Each eligible student currently receives a RM400 flight voucher for travel between Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah, Sarawak and Labuan.
“Expanding it to students in private institutions is something we have considered, but financial limitations are a real challenge.
“At RM400 per person, 100,000 students would already cost RM40 million,” he said in the Dewan Rakyat yesterday.
Loke clarified that FlySiswa is not a fixed-fare package, but a voucher system allowing students to redeem up to RM400 worth of flight tickets, with any unused balance applicable to future travel.
He said the initiative, launched in 2023 under the Transport Ministry and funded through allocations from the Finance Ministry, was introduced to ease travel costs for students studying far from home.
It is currently limited to students in public universities, polytechnics, matriculation colleges and teacher training institutes under the Education Ministry.
Loke also addressed complaints about high airline penalties for minor booking errors, urging passengers to submit specific cases to the ministry.
“If there are instances where the penalty exceeds the ticket price, please provide the details to the ministry. General complaints make it difficult for us to act.”
In a separate matter, Loke said the ministry will work with airlines to develop a mechanism to inform passengers of the amount of government subsidy applied to their festive-season flight tickets.
He said this would help raise public awareness of the government’s financial support in keeping airfares affordable during major festive periods.
This came in response to a question from Sandakan MP Vivian Wong Shir Yee, who asked about the average cost of one-way airfares between Kuala Lumpur, Tawau, Sandakan and Kota Kinabalu during festive seasons without the RM499 price cap.
“The ministry welcomes suggestions from Honourable Members and will discuss with airlines to develop a mechanism to inform passengers of the subsidy amount that benefits them,” said Loke.
The festive flight subsidy programme caps one-way airfares between Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah, Sarawak and Labuan at RM499 during Chinese New Year, Hari Raya Aidilfitri, Gawai, Kaamatan and Christmas.
Loke said without this subsidy, ticket prices could exceed RM1,000, especially for flights to East Malaysia during peak travel seasons.
He also said last year the ministry spent RM11 million to subsidise nearly 27,000 tickets exceeding the RM599 ceiling, while this year’s allocation rose to RM19.5 million to cover 39,744 tickets at an average of RM491 per ticket.
“This ensures passengers pay no more than RM499 even when the market price is almost double.”
