AirAsia boss Tony Fernandes had on August 12 told the media that the carrier will remain at the Terminal 2 of the Kota Kinabalu International Airport (KKIA) (pic) despite a ministerial order to move to Terminal 1.
He said the move 'does not make sense' and added that it will kill Sabah tourism.
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"Moving us to terminal one increases cost per passenger, there is tremendous competition in the region. If you move to Terminal 1 and you increase the airport taxes by RM35, you will kill tourism," he said.
"They have exceeded their deadlines to move out,'' the Prime Minister told reporters after officially opening the KKIA main terminal building in Kota Kinabalu.
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How about that? Will Tony comply?
AirAsia has been resisting the move to KKIA Terminal 1 (pic) for nearly two years, while other budget carriers have moved into the RM1.7bil complex, completed in 2010.
Najib said that the plan was to convert the older Terminal 2 into a dedicated terminal for cargo and air services.
Earlier in his speech, he said that moving all airlines to the main terminal was part of Government efforts to turn Sabah into a regional hub, which would have an impact on the state's growth.
He said many international carriers were already flying into KKIA, which was capable of handling up to nine million passengers a year.
He said that the main terminal was still underused and it was best for all airlines to use the terminal as it was more convenient for travellers with its many facilities.
"I am told travellers using the old terminal have to stand in queues that sometimes went outside the building,'' he said.
Transport Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai, in his speech, said that the new Terminal 1 complex would enable more airlines to fly to Sabah.
"Kota Kinabalu is a popular tourism gateway as well as a thriving industrial and commercial centre. It needs a state-of-the-art airport to cope with the growing demand,'' he said, adding that in 2014, the airport handled a total of 6.79mil passengers with 3.19mil passengers at the main Terminal 1 with the rest at Terminal 2.
He said a total of 14 airlines operate out of Terminal 1, which has 12 aerobridges to cater for both narrow and wide-bodied aircraft.
"Terminal 1 is equipped with 64 check-in counters for domestic and international flights,'' he said, adding that KKIA not only improved connectivity in the region, but was expected to have spill-over effects in terms of facilitating access to rural areas of Sabah.
AirAsia is somehow getting the support from DAP when the opposition party urged the Sabah Government to give the benefit of the doubt to AirAsia and not inadvertently agree to “kill the goose that lays the golden eggs”.
“AirAsia knows what it’s doing. We should listen to them when it comes to the facilities it needs, the cost structure, the industry, connectivity, and the tourism industry.”
DAP Sabah Secretary Edwin Bosi thinks that the Sabah Government should back the budget carrier’s decision not to shift from Terminal 2 at Kota Kinabalu to Terminal 1, the Main Terminal, at the Kota Kinabalu International Airport (KKIA), as demanded by its operator Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad (MAHB).
“Given the problems at KLIA2, AirAsia should in fact be allowed to develop its own budget airport in Kota Kinabalu. Why should MAHB have a monopoly in operating airports? This is Sabah. We should privatise Terminal 2 to AirAsia.”
What do call this? Airline politics?
To DAP, better stay clear of this...
He said the move 'does not make sense' and added that it will kill Sabah tourism.
"Moving us to terminal one increases cost per passenger, there is tremendous competition in the region. If you move to Terminal 1 and you increase the airport taxes by RM35, you will kill tourism," he said.
"We are not into confrontation, we want to win, we want the country to win, we want to create jobs. I think we should be sitting down and find how best can we grow Malaysia and create jobs."Ringgit is RM4 (then), isn't it better if we focus on economy than the biggest low cost airline in Asia being forced to move terminal. More jobs being lost..."And today, Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak said the low-cost budget carrier has to immediately move to the Kota Kinabalu International Airport's (KKIA) main Terminal 1.
"They have exceeded their deadlines to move out,'' the Prime Minister told reporters after officially opening the KKIA main terminal building in Kota Kinabalu.
How about that? Will Tony comply?
AirAsia has been resisting the move to KKIA Terminal 1 (pic) for nearly two years, while other budget carriers have moved into the RM1.7bil complex, completed in 2010.
Najib said that the plan was to convert the older Terminal 2 into a dedicated terminal for cargo and air services.
Earlier in his speech, he said that moving all airlines to the main terminal was part of Government efforts to turn Sabah into a regional hub, which would have an impact on the state's growth.
He said many international carriers were already flying into KKIA, which was capable of handling up to nine million passengers a year.
He said that the main terminal was still underused and it was best for all airlines to use the terminal as it was more convenient for travellers with its many facilities.
"I am told travellers using the old terminal have to stand in queues that sometimes went outside the building,'' he said.
Transport Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai, in his speech, said that the new Terminal 1 complex would enable more airlines to fly to Sabah.
"Kota Kinabalu is a popular tourism gateway as well as a thriving industrial and commercial centre. It needs a state-of-the-art airport to cope with the growing demand,'' he said, adding that in 2014, the airport handled a total of 6.79mil passengers with 3.19mil passengers at the main Terminal 1 with the rest at Terminal 2.
He said a total of 14 airlines operate out of Terminal 1, which has 12 aerobridges to cater for both narrow and wide-bodied aircraft.
"Terminal 1 is equipped with 64 check-in counters for domestic and international flights,'' he said, adding that KKIA not only improved connectivity in the region, but was expected to have spill-over effects in terms of facilitating access to rural areas of Sabah.
AirAsia is somehow getting the support from DAP when the opposition party urged the Sabah Government to give the benefit of the doubt to AirAsia and not inadvertently agree to “kill the goose that lays the golden eggs”.
“AirAsia knows what it’s doing. We should listen to them when it comes to the facilities it needs, the cost structure, the industry, connectivity, and the tourism industry.”
DAP Sabah Secretary Edwin Bosi thinks that the Sabah Government should back the budget carrier’s decision not to shift from Terminal 2 at Kota Kinabalu to Terminal 1, the Main Terminal, at the Kota Kinabalu International Airport (KKIA), as demanded by its operator Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad (MAHB).
“Given the problems at KLIA2, AirAsia should in fact be allowed to develop its own budget airport in Kota Kinabalu. Why should MAHB have a monopoly in operating airports? This is Sabah. We should privatise Terminal 2 to AirAsia.”
What do call this? Airline politics?
To DAP, better stay clear of this...