Daily Express Subscriber
Sign in to your account.

Kota Kinabalu: A Sabahan working in the peninsula is calling for a review of airline policies that prohibit durians on domestic flights, after losing RM400 worth of vacuum-sealed durians at the airport.

The man from Kota Kinabalu had bought premium durians from Penang as a gift for his parents during a recent trip home to Sabah. 

Despite vacuum-sealing the fruits to eliminate any odour, he was told at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport that durians are banned on aircraft regardless of packaging.

The man, who has worked in Kuala Lumpur for years, said he saved money and carefully selected the durians knowing his parents’ love for the fruit. 

He made sure the fruits were professionally vacuum-sealed in airtight containers to prevent any smell from escaping.

“I made sure everything was properly sealed with no smell coming from the package. I thought I had solved the problem,” he said.

However, Customs officials at the airport informed him that durians were strictly prohibited on aircraft, with no exceptions for vacuum-sealed packaging.

"This is within Malaysia, a domestic travel within our own nation. It should not be this complicated,” he said, expressing frustration at having to abandon his purchase or miss his flight.

He hopes Deputy Plantation and Commodities Minister Datuk Chan Foong Hin, who is also from Sabah, can help review the policy.

“Chan understands what it is like to be a Sabahan working in the Peninsula,” he said. 

“He knows how important it is for us to be able to bring home local specialties for our families. Maybe he can help make these regulations less strict for domestic travel, especially when proper packaging is involved,” he said.