Malaysian Airport Tax to Increase Next Year Except for ASEAN Destinations

Yesterday, Malaysians were probably grieving for their bank accounts after two price-hike announcements were made – one for petrol and another one for the airport tax. The Malaysian Aviation Commission (MAVCOM) yesterday announced a revision to the Passenger Service Charges (PSC) for airports in Malaysia.

Effective January 1, 2016, passengers flying from KLIA will have to pay RM73 in airport tax, while others flying from KLIA2 and other airports will be charged RM50 and RM73 respectively. However, these rates will only apply to international flights. Passengers traveling to Asean destinations are in for a treat as they will enjoy lower airport taxes and RM30 reduction if they are flying from KLIA and other airports.

Image: Astro Awani

According to MAVCOM, Malaysia is the first country in the region to introduce an ASEAN PSC tier and this move will hopefully help boost traffic to and from ASEAN nations. The announcement was well received by our local flight carriers, Malaysia Airlines (MAS) and Air Asia. MAS has announced that they will be running a “Freedom Fares” sale kicking off tomorrow until November 8^th on selected ASEAN routes in conjunction with the new airport tax rate. Fares will start from RM99 for domestic and RM149 for international destinations.

Just look how dreamy this beach in Thailand is! (Image: www.travelingislanders.com)

So Malaysians, what are you waiting for? It’s time to take this opportunity and plan your trip ahead to ASEAN destinations such as Brunei, Myanmar, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. Don’t forget to standby in front of your computers or laptops to enjoy the deals tomorrow!