Malaysia: AirAsia Wants LCCTs Be Built Faster
Business Times | Aug. 02, 2007
AirAsia Bhd is hoping that Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB) will fast track its plans to set up low-cost carrier terminal each in Kuching and Penang.
"This is part of the ideas (proposed) by MAHB. They will build another extension or a wing, so called a LCCT terminal hub, from the existing airport. This is the impression that Datuk Seri Bashir Ahmad (MAHB managing director) is giving to us," group chief executive officer of AirAsia Datuk Tony Fernandes said.
"I think there is an urgent need for AirAsia to get one, particularly in Penang as Chief Minister Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon has asked me so many times and we are very keen to start the LCCT operations both in Penang as well as in Kuching."
Tony said such a move will also contribute tremendously to the growth of tourism in the country as AirAsia is now able to connect places that it never connected before like Kuching and Penang, Johor Baru and Miri as well as Johor Baru and Sibu.
MAHB recently announced its plans to construct a new building for the LCCT at the KL International Airport due to the increasing demand.
It was reported that MAHB's senior general manager of operations, Datuk Azmi Murad, said the new building would replace the existing LCCT building, which has been operating since March 2006 and located adjacent to the Malaysia Airlines cargo building.
The airlines presently operating at the LCCT are AirAsia, Thai AirAsia, Indonesia AirAsia and Cebu Pacific Airways.