As teased back in April, the government has announced a new flight ticket subsidy initiative for students of public institutions of higher education (IPTA). The subsidy will be applicable for domestic routes covering Peninsular Malaysia as well as Sabah, Sarawak, and Labuan, which will apparently benefit over 56,000 public university students nationwide, with the overall cost estimated to be RM16.8 million.
According to Transport Minister Anthony Loke, the initiative is worth RM300 and will be distributed through a credit shell where participating airlines will issue a digital voucher to each eligible student to redeem. “This subsidy is only valid for the purchase of one-way and return economy class flight tickets between the students’ place of origin and place of study,” the minister explained.
The participating flights are Malaysia Airlines, AirAsia, Batik Air, Firefly, and MYAirline, with the redemption period being from 15 August to 31 October 2023. He added that if tickets cost less then RM300, then the remaining balance can be carried forward and used for the next flight purchase.
The Transport Ministry will let students check their eligibility on its website at a later date. If they are deemed to be ineligible, they may submit an appeal to the Ministry of Higher Education through their university or apply for the subsidy through the websites of the airlines themselves.
(Source: Bernama)
