Wee: Malaysia-Indonesia travel corridor sheds light on aviation industry workers

BATU PAHAT: The agreement on the implementation of the Malaysia-Indonesia travel corridor is expected to bring the promise of a new beginning to the country's aviation industry workers.

Transport Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong said in order to make the travel corridor between the two countries a success, the reopening of the borders in a safe and detailed manner would be done to ensure the safety of the people amid the challenge of the COVID-19 pandemic.

"I understood that Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob and Indonesian President Joko Widodo had reached an agreement on flights from Jakarta to Kuala Lumpur for us to reopen the economic sector.

"With this opening (travel corridor) our youths who work in this industry such as flight attendants, pilots and those in the field of logistics are expected to return to work.... they are longing for all these.

"And we will definitely open (travel corridors) carefully, vigilantly and in an orderly manner at a time when we are still facing the COVID -19 pandemic," he said when presenting 163 robes to imams from 32 mosques and suraus in Ayer Hitam here today.

On Wednesday, Ismail Sabri said Malaysia and Indonesia had reached an agreement to implement the travel corridor between the two countries, post-COVID-19, as a result of his inaugural visit to the republic.

Both countries reached an agreement to implement the travel corridor through the Travel Corridor Arrangement (TCA) or Vaccinated Travel Lane (VTL) arrangement.

The travel corridor, when implemented, will give priority to those who have been fully vaccinated for the category of travellers for official, business, medical and humanitarian purposes.

Besides, the travel corridor will also involve co-recognition of the COVID-19 vaccination certificate and COVID-19 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) screening test result standard.

The initiative is expected to be finalised and implemented in early 2022.

-- BERNAMA