If Malaysia is to remain competitive, there is an urgent need for the development of dedicated LCCTs, especially at key hubs in Kuala Lumpur, Penang and Kota Kinabalu,– AirAsia Group co-founder and group chief executive Tony Fernandes
KUALA LUMPUR - AirAsia Group co-founder and group chief executive Tony Fernandes has stepped up his squabble with Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB), accusing the airport operator of refusing to embrace the LCC model despite having the largest low-cost airline in Asia - AirAsia - as its main user.
Fernandes said it is “absurd” that low- cost carriers (LCCs) dominate the Malaysian aviation market, but the country does not have dedicated low-cost carrier terminals (LCCTs).
Fernandes pointed out that in Malaysia, LCCs account for 57% and 51% of domestic and international flights respectively.
“At klia2, AirAsia alone accounts for more than 90% of the total passenger traffic,” he wrote in a LinkedIn post.
“If Malaysia is to remain competitive, there is an urgent need for the development of dedicated LCCTs, especially at key hubs in Kuala Lumpur, Penang and Kota Kinabalu,” he said.
The airport operator recently launched lawsuits against AirAsia and its associate AirAsia X to recover overdue passenger service charge (PSC) payments, as well as for defamation over three online articles linked to the charges, The Edge Daily reported.