MASWings Lack of FLight Frequency Irks Ba' Kelalan Folks

http://www.bernama.com.my/bernama/v5/newsgeneral.php?id=577826

April 10, 2011

LAWAS, April 10 (Bernama) -- The decision by rural air service operator MASWings Sdn Bhd, a subsidary of Malaysia AIrlines (MAS), to cut down the flight frequency to Ba' Kelalan has come under fire from tourism operators and folks here.

MASWings has decided to cut down the flight frequency to Ba' Kelalan from Miri-Ba' Kelalan routes from the previous four times a week to the present three times a week, effective March 26.

MASWings flies from Miri to Ba' Kelalan with a brief stopever at Lawas airport using the 19-seater Twin Otter on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday every week.

But now it only flies to Ba' Kelalan famously renowned for its home grown apples, rice, and natural scenic highland on MOnday, Wednesday and Saturday.

Met by Bernama here, Lisa Buing, a tour coordinator from Miri-based Borneo Jungle Safari Sdn Bhd (BJS) said, many tourism operators here like homestay owners had voiced their displeasure over the decision by MASWings.

BJS is a well-known tour operator in northern Sarawak providing tour packages to Ba' Kelalan and operates the APple Lodge homestay in Ba' Kelalan.

Lisa said tourists were not keen on using logging and muddy roads leading to Ba' Kelalan as it was time-consuming.

"How else do we promote the tourism potential in Ba' Kelalan here if air accessibility is lacking?" he said.

If weather permits, the trip to Ba' Kelalan could be about nine hours but during rainy season it could take about 12 hours or more to reach Ba' Kelalan as the logging road would be slippery and dangerous going up the mountain.

BJS Operations Manager Rona Sultan said so far it had received four cancellations from local tourists after MASWings decided to cut down the frequency.

"They had booked the flight on Thursday but since MASWings only flies on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday then they had to cancel," she said.

"What is even more disappointing is that MASWings never mounts an extra flight to those who had booked the flight on Thursday," she said.

She said an official letter signed by 12 heads of communities in Ba' Kelalan pleading the government to reconsider reinstating the four times a week flight to Ba' Kelalan will be handed over to the government.

She said the letter is expected to be sent to the federal Transport Ministry also next week.

--BERNAMA