AirAsia finally moves to T1
Published on: Tuesday, December 01, 2015
Kota Kinabalu: Low-cost airline AirAsia finally packed their bags and made the move to Kota Kinabalu International Airport's Terminal 1 in the wee hours of Tuesday after years of defying government orders to vacate Terminal 2 in Tanjung Aru.The move was necessary as Terminal 2 can no longer effectively and efficiently serve the increasing number of passengers which had grown close to four million passengers per annum (ppa). The terminal has a maximum capacity of two million ppa.Starting Tuesday, AirAsia would occupy their new office and man 16 check-in counters at the RM2b KKIA Terminal 1.
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The fact that the airline will be moving its operation on Dec 1, did not stop business at the old terminal, with staff busy checking-in passengers who continuously piled into the cramped and hot Terminal 2, Monday."The air-conditioner at the new terminal would be a welcome relief of course. And the increased number of passengers brought in by AirAsia would certainly bring new life to the quiet Terminal 1," said a passenger travelling to Kuala Lumpur who only wished to be known as Yong.However, he said it is quite worrying especially with the imminent increase in the Passenger Service Charge (PSC) from RM32 to RM65 as he is a frequent traveller.For Nadim Mohd Kasan and his wife, both teachers from the peninsula, there is no real difference whether they travel via Terminal 1 or Terminal 2, as long as they get to their destination safely.
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"Of course, it will be a lot more comfortable in Terminal 1. The increase in PSC is not a problem. I hope with the new terminal, AirAsia will be more efficient. Here, I have a few complaints," he chuckled.A check on KKIA T1 showed that last minute works were being done to make sure that the airline will be ready for its first arriving flight, scheduled for 12.30am from Jakarta and its first departing flight, scheduled for 6.10am bound for Taipei.
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The move did not come easy though as AirAsia Group Chief Executive Officer Tan Sri Tony Fernandes had, since 2011, voiced defiance if ever the airline was forced to move to Terminal 1, even threatening to chain himself to Terminal 2 if he had to.He repeatedly warned that forcing the move on AirAsia would jeopardise Sabah's tourism, jobs would be lost, and besides, Terminal 1 is incapable of catering to AirAsia's growth anyway, projected at between four and five per cent per annum.KKIA Terminal 1 has a 3,780m runway, 940,000 sq ft of floor area, 12 jetways for passenger use, can accommodate the world's largest passenger aircraft, the Airbus A380 and at any given time, it can house four Boeing 747s, one Airbus A330 and seven Boeing 737s, among others. AirAsia's Airbus A320s will be the new kid on the block at Terminal 1 beginning Tuesday. It was the first airport in the country to welcome the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, operated by Royal Brunei during several product introductory flights in November 2013.Terminal 1 has a maximum capacity of nine million ppa but is only 50 per cent utilised at the moment. Air Asia's four million ppa will spike the utilisation rate to more than 90 per cent.Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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