LABUAN – Residents and frequent travellers from this duty-free island are voicing growing frustration over skyrocketing airfares for the short Labuan-Kota Kinabalu route, with prices now outpacing even international flights to destinations such as Bangkok and Seoul.
For many in Labuan, air travel is not a luxury but a necessity, yet tickets for the roughly 35-minute domestic flight are being sold at rates as high as RM1,207 for a one-way trip on July 2.
By comparison, longer international flights from Kota Kinabalu to Bangkok, which take about three hours, start at RM411, while flights to Seoul, a journey of over five hours, are priced from RM661.
David Lee, 49, who frequently travels between the two locations for oil and gas business, told Bernama the fares were “absurd” and “unacceptable”.
“I was planning my usual trip to Kota Kinabalu for a meeting and was shocked to see fares exceeding RM1,200. How can a flight under one hour cost more than an international trip to Korea?” he said.
Another traveller, Nurul Shafiqah Abdullah, 34, a government officer based in Labuan, said such fare hikes were putting a strain on those who rely on the route for essential reasons.
“This isn’t a holiday route. It’s a lifeline for many who depend on travelling for medical check-ups, work commitments or family matters. These prices are pushing people to the edge,” she said.
For Raymond Chong, 41, who runs a logistics company, the limited choice of carriers only adds to the frustration.
“It’s either MasWings or Malaysia Airlines, sometimes small planes, sometimes a Boeing. There’s no real competition, so you either pay or don’t go,” he said.
Local entrepreneur Faridah Musa, 45, urged the federal government and aviation authorities to address the pricing mechanism, calling the issue more than just a travel inconvenience.
“We are an island with no road access. Flights are essential, not optional. At this point, it’s not just an inconvenience, it’s an economic disadvantage for us.”
She said calls are mounting for transparency in fare structures and for greater efforts to introduce more airline competition to ensure affordable travel for the people of Labuan. – June 26, 2025