One year before the MTB in Kota Kinabalu was upgraded, the contractors of Terminal 2 spent day and night completing the new terminal in record time. The result was a brand new and very practical low cost terminal.
Today Air Asia have been asked to discuss with airport officials its reluctance to move out of the low-cost terminal and start operating at the international terminal at Kota Kinabalu International Airport in June.
The Sabah government has no say in the matter and hopes that AirAsia will not drag it into the airline’s bid to stay put at the low-cost terminal more popularly known as Terminal 2.
State Tourism, Environment and Culture Minister Datuk Masidi Manjun said: “It is up to AirAsia to work out its problem with Malaysia Airports Berhad and the Federal Government as they have the final say on how and where airlines should operate within KKIA.”
AirAsia chief executive officer Datuk Tony Fernandes, during a special press conference for the media from Sabah and Sarawak on Friday, said the airline was not keen to move out of the Terminal 2 as its costs would increase and in turn force it to reduce flights, causing Sabah to lose some one million tourists.
Fernandes said the state government had been cooperative but an official of Sabah Tourism Board (STB) was among those causing some problems in the airline’s bid to stay on at Terminal 2.
This official must have mud in his or her brains not to understand what a low cost carrier terminal is all about. As far as the industry is concerned this terminal is doing just fine as it is. It is much nearer to town and very user friendly. No need to climb stairs and spend hours at the retail outlets. Walking to the planes is a piece of cake. So let Air Asia and other low cost carriers stay put at terminal 2.
No comments:
Post a Comment