Kota Kinabalu, Feb 26- Air Asia chief executive officer Tony Fernandes should leave the issue of what is affordable to his passengers and not use that as an excuse to prolong the tussle with Malaysia Airports Berhad.
Said Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (MATTA) Sabah chairman Robert Chong: “Let the people decide based on their budget and convenience amongst other factors.”
He said that the demand and supply of services and competition between airlines was best for all concerned especially travellers.
Chong was echoing a weekend report in which Sabah MCA had slammed Fernandes and said rival Malindo Air which exited out of KL International Airport although priced slightly higher and with “better service” was doing well on the same route.
MCA had also urged the state government not to sucumb to Fernandes’ threat to pull out the business from the state.
“Let the consumers decide which airlines they want to patronise.
““Currently AirAsia domestic airport tax ex-Kota Kinabalu is RM6 and RM32 for international flights.
“While Malaysia Airlines at Terminal 1 charges RM9 and RM65 for domestic and international flights respectively,” he said adding that the low cost airline had its own business model and that it was not right to change it.
Fernandes is in a tussle with Malaysia Airports Berhad over its operations in Sabah.
MAB wants Air Asia to move its operations to Kota Kinabalu International Airport. But Fernandes is adamant and wants to stay on at Terminal 2.
He warned that insisting on AirAsia shifting its operations to the main terminal would force the budget airline to review its ticket pricings and plan to make the state capital its hub for long-haul affiliate AirAsia X.
Fernandes said AirAsia had been toying with the idea of bringing AirAsia X to Sabah for two years, but the only thing that stopped them was the airport terminal issue.
‘Give AA A Terminal’
MATTA officials meanwhile have come out in support of Fernandes.
Vice president KL Tan said the association was delighted by Fernandes’s statement that the airline would make Sabah its operations hub for long-haul flights.
The idea, he said, made business sense as Kota Kinabalu is strategically located between China, the fastest growing outbound tourism market, Japan and South Korea and Australia.
Operating out of the state capital would cut flight times, save fuel and could help reduce fares and boost tourist arrivals, he said.
However, Tan noted in a statement that any airline operating out of Terminal 2 would be handicapped especially if there were increased flights.
The low-cost terminal, which is handling more than three million passengers annually, is already over capacity.
Poor design and limited facilities have caused the terminal in Tanjong Aru to become congested.
With only one dual-carriage road leading into Terminal 2, traffic jams are frequent and passengers have missed flights.
AirAsia is lobbying for its own terminal but MAB and the federal government have balked so far.
MATTA is all for compromise, pointing out that the war of words between the airline and MAB was self-defeating as all parties, including the government at both state and federal levels had benefited from the increasing tourism opportunities.
According to the budget airline’s figures, Sabah routes have generated large profits for AirAsia with its unaudited results showed a net profit of RM514 million for the first three quarters of last year.
“Stakeholders should find a long-term win-win solution for the benefit of all. We urge all stakeholders to look into the extension of the current KKIA Terminal 2,” Tan said.
“Perhaps AirAsia can have its own low-cost terminal from the north side of the current KKIA Terminal 1, where there is empty space.
“Such practice is common in other countries for all terminals to be linked to one another for the benefit of air passengers on connecting flight.
“This way all will be winners, especially the travelling public and visitors to Sabah,” he said.
-FreeMalaysiaToday
