MAHB: Easing of Covid-19 rules will hasten air travel recovery

KUALA LUMPUR (April 27): Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB), which manages 39 airports in the country, said passengers will be more encouraged to travel to Malaysia following the government's latest decision in relaxing various health safety standard operating procedures starting May 1.

Malaysia will remove Covid-19 testing for all inbound travellers who are fully vaccinated or under the age of 12, as well as travel insurance will no longer be mandatory for travellers entering the country.

From May 1, the government will also make it optional for people to wear masks outdoors and check in before entering premises.

In a statement on Wednesday (April 27), MAHB managing director Datuk Iskandar Mizal Mahmood said the strategic move is in tandem with practices in many other countries and will certainly hasten economic recovery.

"Following the reopening of our country's borders on April 1, this latest move will ease the travelling experience of passengers entering Malaysia and this is expected to further contribute towards the speed of recovery of air travel.

"Based on the feedback we received from passengers travelling through our airports since the border reopening, we are confident that passengers will now be more encouraged to travel to Malaysia," he added.

Currently, Malaysia requires international travellers to undergo a Covid-19 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test within two days prior to their departure to the country and an Antigen Rapid Test (RTK-AG) within 24 hours of arrival. In addition, it requires foreign visitors to purchase Covid-19 insurance to cover at least US$20,000 in Covid-19 medical bills.

"Apart from reducing the hassle, this latest move will also incur less expenses as Covid-19 tests are no longer required for fully vaccinated travellers and insurance is no longer necessary. As the airport operator, we are still committed to ensuring a safe airport environment and we will continue to implement measures such as frequent sanitisation so that passengers can have a safe and seamless travel experience,” said Iskandar Mizal.

MAHB shares closed down 17 sen or 2.48% at RM6.69 on Wednesday, bringing it a market capitalisation of RM11.1 billion.