Like a dog, Tony F bites the hand that feed

As of yesterday evening, nothing happened to Tan Sri Bashir so far.

Sometime last week, he was reported in the papers saying confrontation in the manner Tony F did was not his style. He does not see any benefit by confronting with both MAS and Air Asia since both are MAHB's business partner.

That is a cool respond from an experienced player in the aviation industry and not a newbie who made it by abusing power, stealing from the nation, and short changing the consumer.

Search back my old posting on Air Asia to understand why you are treated like dogs to wait for hours at the Airport. It is by their own design.

When a cool and calculated man like Bashir hits back, he does not need to bark and growl. He will do it with finesse.

Tony F will be shut silenced.

Read this slap in the face on Tony F in Sunday Star below:

MAHB: AirAsia asked for bigger KLIA2

By B.K. Sidhu

PETALING JAYA: Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB) has fought back to say that it was building a bigger KLIA2 upon the request of its biggest customer, AirAsia.

It broke its silence after being criticised by AirAsia boss Tan Sri Tony Fernandes for building KLIA2 to cater to 45 million passengers, thus inflating the cost to RM4bil.

On its website, MAHB posted a document titled Why KLIA2 has to be bigger? which showed that AirAsia had estimated that passenger traffic at the new terminal would hit 28.7 million by 2015, 45.3 million by 2020 and 60.3 million by 2025.

The figures were more aggressive than MAHB's own projections for the same period, according to a graph included on the website.

MAHB said the new airport would cost between RM3.6bil and RM3.9bil and that AirAsia had asked for a fully automated baggage handling system from a semi-automated system, which caused the six-month delay in opening the airport.

KLIA2 will only be ready in April 2013.

AirAsia chairman Datuk Aziz Bakar said yesterday “we had requested MAHB to start thinking of building a bigger KLIA2 and to expand its capacity to cater to 45 million passengers since there has been a series of delays in the completion of the airport. The initial plan was for the airport to handle 30 million passengers and be completed in 2011”.

“(Now) if they do not start preparing for more passengers then we will not have the capacity as we anticipate to achieve 30 million passenger growth by 2015/16,” he said.

On the fully automated baggage system, Aziz said: “We had asked for a semi-automated system but MAHB decided on a fully automated system and we agreed to it.”

The controversy over the bigger airport has also sparked speculation over Tan Sri Bashir Ahmad's future in MAHB.

This led the market to speculate that he was supposed to meet Khazanah Nasional Bhd boss Tan Sri Azman Mokhtar yesterday. It could not be ascertained if the meeting took place.

Khazanah is a major shareholder with 54% stake in MAHB, and when contacted, its spokesman Mohd Asuki Abas said “we do not comment on speculation”.

On Friday, MAHB chairman Tan Sri Dr Aris Othman said Bashir had the full support of the management and board, quashing rumours the latter would be replaced.

Tony F's intention is to drum up the public against MAHB for raising airport tax. You know how unreasonable the public is when it comes to price hike. Thanks to the slanderous Pakatan Rakyat.

These Pakatan people probably never left the border since 2008 and hardly read the business papers or column.

For 19 years, MAHB have not raised Airport taxes.

The roti canai, kuey tiow and nasi lemak seller using controlled item products raised price of their goods upteen times. CEOs like Air Asia's Tony F and Kamaruddin "Melanun" are demanding salaries plus bonuses in the millions as compared to only 5 figure salaries 19 years ago.

Isn't that unfair?

Does Tony F think MAHB is inflated from inflation in the economy and demand for salary and wages increase within their fold?

To substantiate his calls, Tony F made an issue of airport official directing Air Asia to remove demands against Airport Tax increase.

Betul pariah tak tahu malu. Here is the man absconding the public's tax payment trying to fight against airport tax increase.

In addition, he claimed airport tax increase is because the construction of klia2 has gone over budget.

Read The Star's Saturday article on the issue, in which Aziz Bakar's quote was mentioned at the end:

Of airport taxes and cost overrun

By B.K. SIDHU

THE one unanswered question in the ongoing spat between AirAsia and Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB) is why.

Why are they fighting now over a planned increase in passenger service charges (PSC) in the form of airport taxes when the hike was made public months ago?

Late this week AirAsia went viral in its campaign against the increase in airport taxes.

It took out advertisements in newspapers, went online, twitted about the issue; in short kicked up a fuss over the planned move that would see international passengers pay RM65 from Dec 1 instead of RM51 previously and RM31 instead of RM21 for passengers departing from the low cost carrier terminal.

Bone of contention: AirAsia says it wants a ‘kopitiam’ not a ‘Shangri-La’ term inal but MAHB says the cost overrun for KLIA2 is due to projection that a larger airport is needed to cater to 45 million passengers.

While AirAsia's boss Tan Sri Tony Fernandes has raised a commotion over the issue in the interest of the passengers, he stopped his tirade after twitting his reasons for doing so. He said the airport taxes were raised when facilities at LCCT (Low Cost Carrier Terminal) remains poor, the new KLIA2 will cost nearly double its original RM2bil price tag and its opening is delayed to April 2013 from August 2011 and that the airport taxes to destinations such as Kuching and Langkawi is half the fare the airline charges.

“These are the reasons we are upset. Everyone wants to fly. We need efficiency. I end this and hope Malaysians are enlightened,” he twitted.

Could it be that AirAsia wants a percentage share of the PSC since it has brought the passengers into the LCCT as it claims in its “no airport tax raise” campaign that it does not benefit from the PSC? Fernandes did not comment on that possibility.

As it is, airlines are incentivised for the traffic they draw into airports.

There is an incentive programme where airlines are paid for the increase in passenger numbers besides the free landing for three years for new flights.

Whatever the reason may be, it is a question that begs an answer.

In an interview with StarBizWeek yesterday, AirAsia chairman Datuk Aziz Bakar says: “What we are asking is - to enable us to keep our fares low and encourage more visitors to come here - we just want a kopitiam' terminal not a Shangri-La' terminal.”

The fight over the PSC charges certainly overshadows the furore he had over the huge cost of building KLIA2.

On Tuesday, MAHB called the media to tell their side of the story over allegations of cost overrun for the KLIA2, and to build what can be considered a luxury low-cost terminal.

It also revealed the cost of building KLIA2 would be in the range of RM3.6bil and RM3.9bil from RM2bil previously and its rationale for that was that it was building an airport which is 71% bigger than its original size.

The question many are asking is why is there a need to have such as large airport that can cater to 45 million passengers. Is there going to be so much traffic to warrant such as huge, expensive low cost terminal?

MAHB's rationale seems to be that the main customer, AirAsia, is growing rapidly and it is building capacity now for the future. Whether that it a viable move is unclear as it is bringing its future capital expenditure of about RM700mil forward.

Notwithstanding the fact that there may be other airlines that may also want to fly in and out of KLIA2 and that would see traffic rise beyond the forecast 30 million passenger AirAsia is looking at.

It then makes sense to have an airport that will have a very large capacity.

In its notes to journalist to justify its extra spending on KLIA2, MAHB stated that there would be “continued growth in low cost travel - 30 million passengers by 2017.”

Aziz did say that “our projections is that we can reach 30 million even in 2015 and based on our track record we have delivered what we projected.”

So to avoid an expansion just three years after KLIA2 is built, MAHB are putting in more capacity upfront in view of the robust growth its main client is expecting.

Like a dog, Tony F is biting back Tan Sri Bashir and MAHB for the excellent service they provided to Air Asia (although Air Asia intentionally refuse to extend excellent service for consumers out of their own greed) and willingness to cater to Air Asia's needs in the construction of klia2.

Tony F can stuff his berating of Bashir as old school. Tell us any new school managers or entrepreneurs capable of coming close to Bashir's achievement without resorting to abusing political power, stealing from the nation and shortchanging customers.

We will see how much value Dato Zaki Zahid (a silent partner in Omar Ong and Rohana Mahmood's Ethos) can create in Kulim. They know nuts about business and only paper shufflers who never gone through the mill. And they are only theoretical and capable at chop and sell (and behind the scene collect commission).

To quote from The Sun on Bashir:

When contacted by SunBiz yesterday, Khazanah said it does not comment on speculation.

"This (KLIA2) is a national project and he (Bashir) has proven that he knows how to manage airports. To change leadership in the middle of a national construction job, is it really wise?" said an industry source, who asked not to be identified.

"Look at Bashir's track record. During the past eight years, he has grown MAHB from strength to strength. The company sees a year-on-year double-digit profit growth and its shares have climbed to RM6, with a market capitalisation of RM6.7 billion," he added.

Bashir, 62, was appointed MAHB MD in June 2003, following a three-year tenure as an aviation adviser to the Transport Ministry. He started his career with MAS, holding various senior positions during the 29 years. During that period, he was instrumental in acquiring traffic rights for the expansion of MAS' network to international destinations.

Woof woof ... to you Tony F.

- Another Brick in the Wall