Published on: Thursday, November 26, 2009 |
Kota Kinabalu: Terminal Two of the Kota Kinabalu International Airport will be made a cargo airport as planned after AirAsia moves its operations to Terminal One which is now being upgraded.
Deputy Transport Minister Datuk Abdul Rahim Bakri said there was no change to plans to make Terminal Two a dedicated cargo facility.
"The terminal now is used by AirAsia and we want them to move to the main terminal, as we have already complied with all their requirements for this purpose," he said, Wednesday.
They are renting the space from Malaysia Airports Berhad (MAB) anyway and the move can help them save some overhead costs, he added.
Towards this end he explained there was a delay in the moving of AirAsia's operations due to the late completion of KKIA's upgrading works and the time the Royal Sabah Turf Club took to finally move out.
"The renovation of the terminal is now on-going but it may take a while to complete as the runways are still operating É workers can only start work before and after the airport operations every day.
"However we hope the benefits of merging the terminals and setting up of a new cargo area can be felt soon."
He added that other low cost airlines and subsidiary airlines will be operating in the main terminal in future.
Meanwhile, on complaints that direct sunlight was making it uncomfortable for passengers waiting to board aircraft in Terminal One, Rahim said it was actually the architect's innovation for the purpose of power saving.
"Direct sunlight gives the area a natural source of light, and since we are practising green technology, this is the best way to practise what we preach," he said.
He also said the people need not worry too much about the heat as it is also a natural source of Vitamin D.
"Why do the people have to be afraid of the sun? It's not that they have to wait there for hours, it's just a matter of minutes and they can have Vitamin D. It's a good thing right?
"We have to start being environmentally friendly and start being proactive to innovations like this," he said.
Abdul said machines in KKIA, which are directly exposed to sunlight, will be covered by canopies and that MAB would work on this soon.
