Tourism and Culture Minister Mohammad Din Ketapi says it may help to bring down ticket costs.
Tourism and Culture Minister Mohammad Din Ketapi, who was onboard the maiden flight, was received by Deputy Chief Minister Christina Liew at KKIA.
KOTA KINABALU: The tourism and culture ministry believes it will benefit all parties if AirAsia is allowed to operate from the Terminal 2 at Kota Kinabalu International Airport (KKIA) in Tanjung Aru here.
Minister Mohammad Din Ketapi said the ministry supports the proposal by AirAsia group CEO Tony Fernandes to return the low-cost carrier to Terminal 2 as it could help bring down ticket costs.
“AirAsia is our friend and I think Terminal 2 is a better option for the airline because it is cheaper and more convenient for them.
“Here, in Terminal 1, we can see the space is limited and we know AirAsia has a lot of plans for Sabah. So, it will be better to allow them to use Terminal 2,” he said.
According to AirAsia Malaysia CEO Riad Asmat, the company is currently in discussion with various parties, including the federal and state governments and Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad over the possibility of returning to Terminal 2.
He said discussions are at a preliminary stage but was optimistic of a positive outcome for all parties.
“We plan to park nine aircraft in Kota Kinabalu before the end of this year. But we do not have enough space in Terminal 1. If we are allowed to go back to Terminal 2, that problem will be resolved,” he said.
AirAsia moved out of KKIA Terminal 2 to the main terminal on Dec 1, 2015, after years of fending off orders to move from Malaysia Airports.
The 140 passengers on maiden AirAsia flight from Bangkok being welcomed with a water cannon salute upon arrival at KKIA.
Last month, Fernandes said if the state government allowed the airline to operate out of Terminal 2, the company would take less than six months to renovate the building and make it functional again.
He also pledged a RM20 million investment for renovating and refurbishing the terminal.
Earlier today, AirAsia celebrated its maiden flight from Bangkok to Kota Kinabalu.
The 140 passengers were welcomed with a water cannon salute and were received by Deputy Chief Minister Christina Liew, who is also the Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister, and other dignitaries.
The tri-weekly flights are expected to bring in more passengers from Thailand direct to Sabah without having to go through the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA).
This also increases KKIA international destinations for AirAsia to nine, namely to Bangkok, Singapore, Manila, Hong Kong, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Hangzhou, Wuhan and Taipei.
AirAsia will also operate the Kota Kinabalu–Macau route in November this year.
AirAsia used to have direct flights between Bangkok and Kota Kinabalu several years ago but this stopped six months later due to lack of support.
However, Riad allayed fears that the same problem would crop up again, adding that Sabah was now better known among the Thais and other international tourists.
He said although Sabah welcomed about 400 Thais per month in the first five months of this year, he believed the direct flight would encourage more tourists to pack their bags and come to Sabah.
“We don’t like to look back because we can see the future of this route is bright. The people in this region are constantly looking for travel options.
“For us, Sabah is easier to sell. We see what travellers want and our colleagues in Thailand also see this route as a need now.
“Rest assured, we are also a company and we are careful where we go. We have learned from past mistakes and what went wrong before. So, we are confident,” he said. -FMT
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