MALAYSIAN Airlines Holdings Bhd (MAHB) recorded 4.8 million passenger movements in January driven by high vaccination rates and encouragement for boosters has resumed travelling activities and loosened restrictions. 

In a filing to Bursa Malaysia yesterday, MAHB said despite the additional challenges from the unfolding of Omicron wave which triggered temporary renewed travel restrictions and tightening of travel procedures to contain the spread of the new variant, booster shot campaigns, is significantly reducing serious illness and hospitalisation, has provided optimism for more progressive relaxation of travel restrictions and procedures. 

Malaysia’s daily average passenger movements slowed down as the school term resumed on Jan 10, combined with the effect from the temporary suspension of the Vaccination Travel Lane (VTL) and Umrah services from Jan 8 and Dec 23, 2021 respectively.

“VTL ticket sales, however, resumed from Jan 21 albeit with an interim 50% reduction of ticket quotas and flexibility to increase flight frequencies based on risk assessment of Covid cases in Malaysia and Singapore. 

“Notwithstanding the challenges brought by the new variant, January’s 8,700 daily average passenger movements, recorded a much higher average than November 2021 by twofold though slightly lower than December 2021 by 2,000 daily average passengers. Read more