By SHAFIQQUL ALIFF / Pic by TMR FILE PIX

There is an uptick in anticipation and expectation towards air travel, with 60% out of 1,000 Malaysians looking forward to travelling domestically while the remaining  expressed a preference for international travel.

The Malaysian Aviation Commission (MAVCOM) recently released its Consumer Survey results which was conducted between February and May 2021, to understand the air travel expectations of consumers post-Covid-19.

The survey involved respondents who had travelled at least once in the 12 months prior to the survey being conducted and are willing to travel by air in the next 12 months.

According to MAVCOM, among the reasons cited for the preference for domestic travel included lower travel cost, high risk of exposure to Covid-19 when travelling internationally and respondents living with high-risk family members.

The Commission also stated that 72% of them were considering visiting destinations within Asia, with the top three countries being Japan, China and South Korea.

The survey also stated that key travel touchpoints within airports need to be redesigned to incorporate crowd control and physical distancing measures, routine sanitisation as well as contactless facilities.

It also highlighted that the adoption of digital technologies like paperless travel documents and e-payment facilities, amongst others, were among the respondents’ expectations.

Additionally, the survey underlined that the enforcement of Covid-19 standard operating procedure to create a safe end-to-end travel experience is imperative to boost passenger confidence.

MAVCOM executive chairman Datuk Seri Saripuddin Kasim said Malaysian travellers are still cautious of the evolving circumstances related to the pandemic and are wary of contracting Covid-19.

He said the outcome of this survey indicated that Malaysians look forward to resuming air travel in both domestic and international sectors.

“With the findings of this study, the Commission hopes that the relevant industry players will continue with their efforts to be vigilant and make appropriate improvements at key travel touchpoints.

“This is to further strengthen public confidence towards air travel as we move further into the reopening of our skies,” he said.