Following the reopening of the country’s borders on April 1, the Malaysian Immigration Department has produced 970,000 passport books for the renewal of the Malaysian International Passport.
Datuk Seri Khairul Dzaimee Daud, director-general of immigration, said the amount is likely to be sufficient to meet the needs of Malaysians who want to renew their passports to travel overseas until July this year, after which they will restock the books.
“The projected numbers are based on the statistics of passport renewals in our country before the Covid-19 pandemic hit, which was around 2.3 million to 2.5 million annually,” he said on the Bicara Naratif programme that was broadcast live on RTM1 last night.
Additionally, to alleviate congestion at international entrance ports during Ramadan, which begins in April, and umrah pilgrims, Khairul Dzaimee stated that they would urge pilgrims to use the autogate system rather than manned counters.
“It is to enable entry into the country and exit procedures to run smoothly. In addition, we will open special counters for pilgrims who are unable to use the autogate,” he said. — Bernama.
AirAsia Aviation Group anticipates that domestic and international capacity will reach pre-pandemic levels by the end of the year, when key markets, including its home country of Malaysia, open international borders.
According to the low-cost airline firm, domestic flight capacity has already more than doubled since October 2021, with foreign flight capacity increasing by 50% since early March.
The Malaysian government declared on March 8 that the country’s borders would be fully reopened to all immunised travellers beginning April 1, as part of a larger adjustment toward living with an endemic Covid-19. It joins a growing list of Asia-Pacific countries, including Australia, New Zealand, and India, that have or plan to fully reopen borders following two years of the coronavirus outbreak.
Outside Malaysia, the firm has witnessed “similarly optimistic developments” from its airline businesses in Thailand, Indonesia, and the Philippines. Moreover, Malaysia Airlines is increasing capacity across its international network, including the resumption of operations to India on July 1.
The Oneworld airline is also expanding its service to London, Bangkok, and Phuket in Thailand, as well as Sydney and Perth in Australia. The airline suggested earlier that its goal is to operate at 70 per cent pre-pandemic capacity by the end of the year, up from the current 23 per cent across its domestic and international network.
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