Tony’s firm about renaming klia2 to LCCT2

AirAsia CEO to meet Transport Minister over the company’s marketing promotion and name change issue.

KUALA LUMPUR: AirAsia Group Chief Executive Officer Tony Fernandes plans to meet Transport Minister Liow Tiong Lai over his proposal to rename the Kuala Lumpur International Airport 2 (klia2) to Low Cost Carrier Terminal 2(LCCT2).

He is not budging from his stand that it be renamed, although he conceded that only Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB) had the right to change the name.

AirAsia and airport operator MAHB have been involved in a tiff following the low-cost carrier’s insistence on going ahead with its promotional campaign to refer to klia2 as LCCT2, according to a report by Astroawani.

It was reported that AirAsia had also changed the name klia2 to LCCT in its boarding passes.

Fernandes defended AirAsia’s marketing strategy to promote Malaysia as Asia’s low cost carrier.

“We do not have the right to change the name of the terminal. We are suggesting it. We are meeting the minister tomorrow to discuss it,” he was quoted as saying.

“But, we are a marketing company. We are seeing an opportunity in making Malaysia the hub of low cost travel for Asia.

“For the first time in history we are seeing Singaporeans coming up to Malaysia and flying on us to different parts of Asia. That is history.

“I grew up all my years flying to Singapore and taking other airlines. What is our advantage? Low cost. And so, we want to promote our terminal which we are calling LCCT is the place to come for low fares,” he said.

The Malay Mail Online quoted Fernandes as saying: “This is a campaign to tell the world that we are low cost. This is a marketing campaign.”