The Election Commission has booked every available private hire aircraft for the month of April and May in Sabah, according to The Star Online.

The report cited two Sabahan helicopter hire services confirming that their entire fleet has been booked for the two months.

Although the booking may not necessarily mean that the EC is certain of the polls being held then, elections during the April to May window would still be feasible.

The Dewan Rakyat is scheduled to reconvene on March 5 and will sit for 20 days until April 5.

Putrajaya is expected to pass some bills, including one that will result in the redrawing of electoral boundaries.

Political observers have pointed out that Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak will likely want the election to be held before May 15, the start of the month of Ramadan.

However, this is not a certainty, because Malaysia saw two by-elections being held during Ramadan in 2016.

Parliament is expected to automatically dissolve on June 24, and therefore the latest date for the EC to hold elections is on Aug 24.