KUALA LUMPUR (March 8): The announcement on the reopening of Malaysia’s international borders to quarantine-free travel for vaccinated travellers from April 1, 2022, is long awaited and welcomed by the aviation industry, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) said on Tuesday (March 8).

“It is a good step forward, as aviation provides the needed connections and linkages to facilitate commerce, trade and the movement of people. This will allow Malaysia to reap the social and economic benefits of aviation given its contribution to jobs and Gross Domestic Product,” IATA regional vice president for Asia Pacific, Philip Goh, said in a statement.

He said IATA hopes that in the next phase of opening, the Malaysian government will replace polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing with antigen rapid test (ART) testing for pre-departure testing initially, and eventually do away with pre-departure and post-arrival testing for all vaccinated passengers.Read more