SIBU: Sarawak has asked major airlines to increase flight frequency following the reopening of borders.

       State Transport Minister Datuk Seri Lee Khim Shin told a press conference on Monday (May 9) that meetings had been held with AirAsia, Malindo, Firefly and MASwings among others to increase flights into the state.

       On the list of requests is the new Sibu-Singapore round trip route, he added.

       "I have received requests for a flight to Sibu from Singapore. AA (AirAsia) is looking into it, and will conduct a marketing survey later to determine the response," he said after chairing the Sibu Divisional Traffic Committee meeting here.

       Lee said the state government also wanted to revive the Kuching-Pontianak sector which had been suspended during the Covid-19 pandemic.

       Currently the only mode of transport to Kuching from Kalimantan is by bus.

       Lee said Royal Brunei Airlines had resumed twice-weekly flights to Kuching on May 1 while Scoot Tigerair (a budget airline subsidiary of Singapore Airlines) had resumed servicing the Singapore-Kuching sector with five flights weekly from April 3.

       "Scoot is flying twice a week to Miri while AA is flying daily from Singapore to Kuching and four times to Miri weekly," he added.

       Separately, he said his ministry had proposed the revival of the Shell Traffic Games to educate schoolchildren on road safety.

       The statewide games were last held in 2015.