Cash smuggled via VIP lane, so tighter screening
Published on: Wednesday, September 05, 2018
Kuala Lumpur: The Transport Ministry is reviewing the use of VIP lanes in airports following allegations that they were used to carry money in and out of the country. "We are looking at this very seriously in terms of airport security. I have asked Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad (MAHB) to review the standard operating procedure of VIP lanes. "I also ordered MAHB to tighten the procedure for VIPs to use these VIP lanes," Transport Minister Anthony Loke said. ADVERTISEMENT He was responding to a question over allegations that flights were being used to carry money in and out of the country, following the alleged misappropriation of election funds by former officers of the Malaysian External Intelligence Organisation (MEIO), including its Director-General Datuk Hasanah Abdul Hamid. "There are still VIP lanes, but the usage has to be more regulated. Only selected people can use the VIP lanes. Before this, a lot of officers and people in the Ministry were using it too. Therefore, we need tighter procedures," he said. Loke alleged that under the previous administration, these lanes allowed VIPs to skip having to go through security, and their hand luggage was also not inspected. He said that from now on, VIPs' hand luggage will have to go through a security inspection. ADVERTISEMENT Meanwhile, airline operators in the country will increase their flight capacity by 20pc to reduce air ticket prices during the peak period of the three festive seasons of Chinese New Year, Hari Raya Puasa and Hari Gawai. "A consensus has been agreed upon by three airlines: Malaysia Airlines, AirAsia, and Malindo to offer more flights during these three festive seasons. We are taking a trial approach method and have identified that there are three festive periods that see a hike in prices, which is Chinese New Year, Hari Raya, and Hari Gawai and Kaamatan in Sabah and Sarawak," he said.
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Loke said the technical paper by Mavcom revealed that air ticket prices on 10 routes saw an increase of as high as 5.7 times during the Chinese New Year period. "We are worried that if we implement a ceiling price, then the airline companies will average out the prices, and this will result in an increase of airfares during normal days," he said. Loke added that he did not want to see this happen, as the domestic airfare trends had shown a continuous decline for the past few years. He also said that not many countries implemented a ceiling price, while Indonesia – which did – didn't see a reduction in airfare prices of its domestic routes."If we ask for a ceiling price, then the airline companies will ask for a minimum price as well," he said, adding that it would not benefit the people in the long run. The additional flights would be provided seven days before the start of the festive period. "We will increase the supply in order to bring down the prices. This is the consensus from each airline. "Each airline company that has flights on those days will increase its capacity. Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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Each route will see an additional increase of 20pc," he said. Loke added that seven routes have been identified for Chinese New Year. They are Kuala Lumpur-Sibu, Kuala Lumpur - Kota Kinabalu, Kuala Lumpur - Kuching, Johor Baru - Sibu, Johor Baru - Kuching, Johor Baru- Kota Kinabalu and Ipoh - Johor Baru. Loke added that flights during Chinese New Year would begin selling next month, while those for Hari Raya would start in February or March next year.