KKIA a star performer: MAB
Published on: Friday, October 14, 2016
Kota Kinabalu: Kota Kinabalu International Airport (KKIA) continues to live up to expectations as the tourism gateway to Borneo, recording double digit growth in tourist arrivals the past nine months.Malaysia Airports Managing Director Datuk Badlisham Ghazali said September Year-To-Date (YTD) statistics show that KKIA recorded the best growth for international passenger traffic at 29 per cent, registering 1.4 million passengers compared to 1.1 million during the same period last year. In September alone, KKIA registered impressive growth of international passengers, climbing to 46pc.
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"This is due, I believe, to the great effort done by the State Government and Sabah Tourism who continuously promote Sabah in general and Kota Kinabalu specifically. Personally, I have met many carrier operators and when they talk about destinations, one they always talk about when it comes to Malaysia is Kota Kinabalu as the entry point not only to Sabah but also Borneo," he said. The 29pc international traffic growth, he said, is unprecedented and the momentum has been building over the last nine months. The impressive growth was also contributed by a strong performance from a wide range of airlines, primarily the AirAsia Group, Jin Air from South Korea and 16 other airlines operating at KKIA. AirAsia Group, which had always protested the consolidation of operations for full service and low cost carriers under one roof, also experienced a significant growth in international traffic since its move to Terminal 1 of 16pc over the same period last year.
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The Sabah Tourism Board also reported an increase in visitors, both international and domestic, which grew to 1.62 million or 3.7pc, year-on-year for January to June 2016. "KKIA now handles an average of 180 flights daily where the number flying through the terminal also increased to approximately 18,000 passengers per day compared to 8,000 passengers before the consolidation of operations.
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"On top of attracting several new airlines such as Jeju Air from South Korea, Lucky Air from China and Tigerair Taiwan to fly to Sabah, existing airlines such as Jin Air also increased its frequency to twice daily to its Incheon-Kota Kinabalu route. "The increased traffic and frequencies resulted from the more robust connectivity and convenient facilities provided by the consolidated operations within a single terminal, for passengers and airlines alike," Badlisham said. The terminal which cost RM1.7 billion to upgrade to its current capacity can accommodate nine million passengers yearly and is fully equipped with facilities that ensure passenger convenience and comfort such as 64 check-in counters, ample parking space with 1,400 parking bays, passenger boarding bridges and various retail and F&B outlets within the terminal.On top of the superior facilities, Malaysia Airports had also further pledged RM10 million to Sabah Tourism to support the further development of the State tourism industry whereby, among others, joint promotions are intensified to market Sabah as a destination to tourists from North East Asia. China and Hong Kong, South Korea, Japan and Taiwan are the largest source of Sabah's international arrivals accounting for 46.6 per cent of nearly a million international arrivals in 2015.Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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