AirAsia OK with moving to Terminal 1 Dec 1
Published on: Friday, November 27, 2015
Kota Kinabalu: Low-cost carrier AirAsia's move to the Kota Kinabalu International Airport Terminal One here will finally mean the just-renovated complex is being fully utilised.The move, although it came with much resistance, will not affect the airport's traffic flow, both on the road and in the air.Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Seri Masidi Manjun noted that the Dec 1 shift was neither right nor wrong.
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"People are already queuing up right to the airplane (at its current location at Terminal 2 in Tanjung Aru)."If you are saying that more will be affected by the move, actually people are already complaining (even before the move)," he said, in reply to Likas assemblyman Junz Wong's concern over the shift.Masidi pointed out that more than RM1 billion was spent on the upgrade of Terminal 1 and to date only 15pc of the airport was utilised.This was why, he said, it made financial sense to move to Terminal 1.
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The Minister said also he had met AirAsia Chief Executive Officer Aireen Omar who said the ariline would move to Terminal 1 and was told that the move will not affect the low-cost carrier.AirAsia's shift to Terminal 1 ends a two-year resistance to move to the RM1.7 billion complex and the move is also crucial as the present Terminal 2 will be converted into a cargo hub.
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The low-cost carrier claimed that Terminal 1 would not be able to accommodate its future aircraft expansion plans which include bringing its affiliate company, AirAsia X, to Kota Kinabalu and make the airport its hub.AirAsia, the largest Southeast Asia's low-cost carrier, also said the higher operations costs at Terminal 1 will trickle down to its passengers, where AirAsia currently flies 518 flights to 10 international and eight domestic destinations.Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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