November 30, 2007 21:45 PM

Plans are afoot to expand the capacity and facilities at the Low Cost Carrier Terminal at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (LCCT) here to enable it to handle 15 million passengers a year from the current 10 million.

Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB) senior general manager for operations Datuk Azmi Murad said today work on the extension will begin “quite soon” although the investment involved has yet to be determined, he told a media briefing here on the LCCT.

“The 15 million passenger capacity will also meet the future growth of AirAsia X operations,” he added, referring to the low cost long haul carrier which has begun services to Australia’s Gold Coast.

For now, Azmi said, the LCCT is still able to accommodate the current passenger volume as it is expected to handle “only seven million this year”.

On the additional facilities, he said this will include a RM6.2 million food court called “Food Garden” next to the terminal. It will house eight outlets and accommodate up to 660 customers at any one time.

Five outlets will be operated by vendors picked by the Entrepreneur and Cooperative Development Ministry, he added.

On the congestion at the check-in counters presently, Azmi blamed the situation on AirAsia’s check-in system under which only two counters are opened for each flight.

This article is a verbatim copy of the original article from Bernama.