MASwings mulls special fares for rural students

0

MOTIVATIONAL TALK: Ngau (standing at right) and Mohd Nawawi motivating the PMR candidates.

BARIO: MASwings would consider introducing a ‘Student Card’ to rural students in Sarawak and Sabah continuing their studies in urban areas to give them special discount in airfares.

Its chief executive officer Datuk Captain Mohd Nawawi Awang said this benefit will only be extended to those from the interior in the two states that are accessible by air service and where there is an airport.

“We will look seriously into the request.

“We will consider issuing ‘Student Card’ to allow a special discount for them on the air fares,” he pledged.

Mohd Nawawi said this in reply to the request from SMK Bario principal Yew Kok Wing.

Earlier in welcoming Mohd Nawawi and his delegate to the school, Yew had requested MASwings to consider giving a special airfare to students studying in Bario.

“They would be excited and of course it would also encourage them and enhance their spirit to study.

“Above all, it would help ease the parents’ burden of having to pay for the high airfares for their children continuing their studies to Form 4 in urban areas like Miri or Marudi,” he reasoned, saying most of the students’ parents were just farmers.

When approached for his comments, Mohd Nawawi said once approved, card holders would have to go to the registered flight agent or MASwings counter to purchase the tickets.

“The card only entitles holders to flights using the Twin Otter aircraft, but we will expand the entitlement to flights on a bigger aircraft such as the ATR 72-600,” he clarified.

Later, Mohd Nawawi gave a career motivation talk to 51 candidates sitting for the Peperiksaan Menengah Rendah (PMR) – a public examination.

The visit to the school was one of the activities organised in conjunction with the official launching ceremony of MASwings’ new aircraft, the ‘Viking Series 400’, here on Sept 30.

Accompanying Mohd Nawawi and his team were Telang Usan assemblyman Dennis Ngau and Rurum Kelabit Sarawak (RKS) deputy president Robert Ayu.