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By Ashley Sim
KUCHING, July 20: Transport Minister Anthony Loke has affirmed that the Federal government is committed to continuing to provide subsidies to allow people in the interior of Sarawak and Sabah to continue to enjoy Rural Air Services (RAS).
Loke affirmed this during his speech at the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on the Sarawak government’s takeover of RAS, which took place today at a hotel in Kuching.
“The Ministry of Transport Malaysia (MOT), representing the Federal government, has signed a MOU with the Ministry of Transport Sarawak (MOTS), representing the Sarawak government.
“This MOU signifies the commitment of the Federal government to support and facilitate the Sarawak government’s efforts in taking over RAS.
“In this regard, the Sarawak government will continue to negotiate with Malaysia Aviation Group (MAG) and Khazanah Nasional Berhad to acquire the shares of MASwings Sdn Bhd, and this matter is, as far as I am aware, being handled by the State government,” he said.
He further explained that the Sarawak government’s acquisition of RAS services will not impact rural air services on current RAS routes, as specified in the Public Service Obligation (PSO) agreement for RAS.
“At the same time, MOT is conducting a RAS rationalisation study through the Malaysian Aviation Commission (MAVCOM) to examine improvements that can be implemented on RAS services, as the current RAS agreement will expire on Dec 31, 2024,” he added.
Loke stated earlier in his speech that RAS is a non-economic air service that is provided out of a sense of responsibility to the people in the interior of Sarawak and Sabah because air travel is their primary mode of transportation.
“MOT signed a RAS Agreement with MASwings Sdn Bhd on July 3, 2008 for a period of 10 years in order to implement RAS services.
“The new RAS agreement was signed on Jan 4, 2019, and it will be in effect for six years, from Jan1, 2019, to Dec 31, 2024.
“In this regard, the Federal government has designated 40 routes as RAS routes operated by MASwings Sdn Bhd using ATR72 and Twin Otter aircraft, based on the criteria outlined below in the Malaysian Aviation Commission Act 2015 [Act 771],” he remarked.
The Transport Minister also pointed out that from 2019 to 2022, MASwings carried a total of 2,407,954 passengers, the majority of whom came from the interior of Sarawak and Sabah.
Sarawak Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg was present to witness the signing of the MOU on the Sarawak government’s takeover of RAS.
Among others present at the event were Deputy Premier of Sarawak Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hasan, Deputy Premier of Sarawak Dato Sri Dr Sim Kui Hian, Sarawak State Secretary Datuk Amar Mohamad Abu Bakar Marzuki, and MOTS Minister Dato Sri Lee Kim Shin. — DayakDaily
