LOW COST CARRIER TERMINAL

The idea of building low cost terminals is getting out of hand. So this idea was shot down in Sarawak recently.

Building a low cost carrier terminal (LCCT) in the state capital is a waste of money as the present international airport is under-utilised, says Tourism Minister Datuk Amar Abang Johari Tun Openg.

According to him, what is more important is for airline companies to improve air connectivity in Sarawak and make full use of the present facilities. “The present facility (Kuching International Airport) can be shared and if it is not enough we can extend it,” he told reporters here yesterday.

Johari who was asked to comment on AirAsia CEO Tan Sri Tony Fernandez’s recent statement that Sarawak should build an LCCT instead of criticising the MAS-AirAsia swap deal that had resulted in the discontinuity of Firefly, said: “The state will not push for an LCCT to be built in Kuching because it’s a waste of money and resources. If we build one in Kuching, we’ll have to build another in Sibu and other main towns and these are very costly. So it’s not necessary. We should utilise our present resources to the maximum.”

Johari said he would try his best to bid for the World Airline Conference 2014 to be held in Sarawak as he believed this would help to improve air connectivity and further boost the tourism and hospitality industry in the state.

Earlier in his speech to officiate at the Independent Management Team appreciation cocktail reception at Sarawak Tourism Complex, the minister said he would try his best to get MASwings as a regional airline to service routes outside the Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines East Asean Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA) as well.

“MASwings can’t just fly in BIMP-EAGA. We have to be connected with Bangkok, Bali, Hong Kong, Singapore and Australia,” he said. “When I attend tourism conferences overseas, I can’t promote Sarawak by telling people come by swimming,” he jibed.

He said the tourism and hospitality industry in Sarawak was a key contributor to the state’s economy and therefore, it required long term plans to remain sustainable amid challenges and global crisis. The plans included revamping government policies and introducing new approaches for players in the industry, he said.