Fernandes: We didn’t ask for new baggage system

AirAsia denies requesting Malaysian Airports Holdings Bhd for a sophisticated baggage handling system.

PETALING JAYA: AirAsia chief executive officer, Tony Fernandes, in a tweet this morning denied requesting Malaysian Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB) for a sophisticated baggage handling system (BHS) to be installed in Kuala Lumpur International Airport 2 (KLIA2).

“The baggage system is a red herring by MAB. We didn’t ask for it. But whatever it is, it didn’t cost RM3.9 billion. Or delay terminal by almost two years,” he said.

KLIA2, or commonly referred as the New Low-Cost Carrier Terminal project, was announced in 2010 and was originally slated to be completed in April next year to accommodate 30 to 35 million passengers.

Fernandes’ statement comes after MAHB released two letters signed by Tony and MAHB’s CEO and managing director Bashir Ahmad.

In the letter dated June 16, 2011, Fernandes stated that he would prefer installation of the most sophisticated fully automated BHS (baggage handling system) in KLIA2, reported the New Straits Times today.

The letter is also at odds with the statement by AirAsia X chairman Rafidah Aziz on Sunday where she said that the implementation of a fully automated BHS was made unilaterally by MAHB and that the six-month delay to the completion of KLIA2 will not be attributed to AirAsia.

The spat between between Fernandes and MAHB is a continuance of disagreements that Fernandes has been raising over the past month or so via his micro-blogging site.

He added that AirAsia’s key members would be addressing the issues at a press conference today.