The Terminal 1 of Kota Kinabalu International Airport cost the nation RM1.5 billion. It was opened for operations on 19-8-2008 while enhancement and expansion of Terminal 1 was completed in 2011. Despite these developments, AirAsia had been dictating terms to Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB) and/or Government and has refused to move to Terminal 1 as directed.
Reliable sources have confirmed that AirAsia owed Passengers Service Charge (PSC) (formerly known as ‘Airport Tax’) of more than RM50 million to Malaysia Airport Holding Bhd (MAHB).
In April 2014 AirAsia said it will not move from LCCT because of the issues of safety and security in KLIA2.
AirAsia has said that it has to pass on the charge of RM3.00 KLIA2 Airport Fees to passengers because of MAHB’s charges for aerobridge, check-in system and others. It was crystal clear that AirAsia was trying hard to pass the blame to MAHB for AirAsia’s own imposition of the KLIA2 Airport Fees of RM3.00. It would appear that the nation has been burdened with endless problematic AirAsia. Please read below the view of Malindo Air on the AirAsia’s KLIA2 Airport Fees of RM3.00.
Malindo Air chief executive officer Mr Chandran Ramamurthy told The Rakyat Post that his airline’s prices were all-inclusive and confirmed that the RM3 free, as MAHB had said, was set by AirAsia. “We don’t want to burden our passengers with our operations cost. The airport does not charge RM3 per passenger. AirAsia came up with RM3 based on their own calculations.” For the full report by The Rakyat Post, please read HERE.
Everyone thought that AirAsia is a very powerful airline when it announced that it will stay put in LCCT despite the completion of KLIA2. Now Everyone Can Laugh Out Loud at the 180 degree u-turn when AirAsia starts to operate at KLIA2 today.
Public Accounts Committee (PAC) is a Select Committee set up by Parliament. Its role is to overseeing or scrutinising government expenditures approved by Parliament. Generally, in the Westminster style of Parliament like ours, by convention PAC normally take up matters raised in the Auditor-General (AG)’s Report.
The International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) has verified that KLIA2 is structurally in compliance with its requirements and safety standards.
The recent outburst by AirAsia citing “safety” issues as it main reason for not moving to KLIA2.
All airport authorities through out the world have imposed airport tax. AirAsia (AA) was the only airline with the ability to owe airport tax and other charges to the tune of over RM132 million. When yours truly brought up the issue in Parliament a few years ago, AA finally settled it with a discount of RM25 million as “incentive” by the then Minister of Transport, in HERE.
“Timeliness and a concrete black and white commitment on fixed airport charges in the new low-cost carrier terminal is needed to cool down the ongoing tension between AirAsia Chief Tan Sri Tony Fernandes and Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB), says Tan Sri Rafidah Aziz.
