Malaysia's low-cost aviation hub will begin business operations in early March, ahead of rival Singapore's budget terminal, to become Southeast Asia's first dedicated no-frills terminal, officials said.
"Definitely, we will begin operating at the new hub before Singapore's budget terminal at Changi," AirAsia vice president Raja Mohamad Azmi told reporters yesterday.
Raja Azmi, who is also chief financial officer of the profit-making carrier, said it was preparing to start operations at the new terminal from early March.
Malaysia Airports (Sepang) Sdn Bhd general manager Azmi Murad had said that operations at the low-cost hub could begin from March 6.
"We are working on a tentative date of March 6 for the terminal to be fully operational," he was quoted as saying by the Star newspaper on Saturday.
Azmi, however, downplayed any rivalry with Singapore's Changi Airport.
"We are opening the terminal not to race ahead of Changi but because we are ready to do so," he said.
The terminal at Changi Airport, which has already been completed, is scheduled to be operational on March 26.
Malaysia's government hopes the new facility will help turn Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) into a regional aviation hub. Construction of the terminal for low-cost airlines began last June.
"At least 5 to 6 million people will use the low-cost airline terminal in the first year of business. Obviously the numbers will grow," Raja Azmi said.
The 100-million-ringgit (US$27 million) hub is about 20km from the KLIA. The terminal can handle 4,000 passengers an hour. Its 30 aircraft parking bays and 72 check-in counters would be fully operational by the launch date.
A shuttle bus would ferry passengers to and from KLIA.
But Raja Azmi said that talks were still ongoing with Malaysia Airports about the commercial terms to operate at the new terminal.
"We need to agree on landing fees, rentals and passenger fees. If you have a low-cost terminal, the cost of doing business has to be lower. Lower cost will mean lower-priced air tickets and more people will fly," he said.
AirAsia began operations at Subang airport near Kuala Lumpur but moved to KLIA, about 50km south of the capital, in July 2002 in line with the government's plan to make KLIA the main gateway for Malaysia.
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