SEPANG: The Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) operator, Malaysia Airport Holdings Bhd (MAHB), is willing to allow AirAsia shift some operations to the airport, says Managing Director Datuk Badlisham Ghazalli.He said it is not possible for the low-cost airline to relocate its entire operations from klia2 to KLIA due to the latter's capacity.
"For them to move all their operations (to KLIA), my answer is no, but we will consider their request if they just want to shift part of the operations," Badlisham told reporters at the MAHB's 7th Annual Concession Conference here Thursday.
He said AirAsia currently operates a large fleet of 80 aircraft which carry 28 million passengers annually.
It was reported that AirAsia plans to relocate its operation base from klia2 to KLIA following the revised passenger service charges (PSC) by the Malaysian Aviation Commission, effective Jan 1, 2017.
The revised PSC will see RM11 imposed on domestic flights at KLIA and KLIA2 and RM35 for Asean destinations, while charges for international destinations will be RM73 and RM50 at KLIA and KLIA2 respectively.
The current charges at KLIA are RM65 for international destinations and RM9 for domestic travel, while at KLIA2 the charges are RM32 and RM6 for international and domestic destinations respectively.
Elaborating further, Badlisham said at present, 60 carriers operate at KLIA and 10 at KLIA2.
"During peak hours from 6 am to 10 am, we handle 115 flights on average and the airport reaches almost its full capacity during the period," he said.
Badlisham said AirAsia may be allowed to operate during off-peak hours and take several vacant slots during peak hours.
On Malaysia Airlines' intention to operate from klia2, Badlisham said MAHB will hold a meeting with the carrier on Nov 24 to discuss its request.
"They have visited KLIA2 and seen for themselves the facilities and services at the airport," he added. – Bernama
