Wednesday December 2, 2009

The passenger volume at the Kuching International Airport rose by seven per cent to 2.9 million between January and October from 2.7 million in the same period last year, said Datuk Azmi Murad, Senior General Manager (Operations) of Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad (MAHB).

“The Miri, Sibu and Bintulu airports also saw more passengers using our airport facilities.

“We are looking at improving the facilities at all times,” he told BERNAMA after launching Apron Safety Campaign 2009 at the Kuching International Airport.

Azmi said the Kuching International Airport, in operations for 26 years, did not see any major mishaps at the airside area.

“The airport’s reputation would be at stake if there were mishaps due to human negligence and lack of safety management, he said.

On the progress of the new Low Cost Carrier Terminal (LCCT) project near the KL International Airport in Sepang, Azmi said MAHB aimed to complete the RM1.2 billion facility in the third quarter of 2011.

“We are working closely with budget airline AirAsia and work is going on well,” he said, adding that once operational, the LCCT would have 30 million passenger capacity a year.

It would also have the provision for future expansion to handle up to 45 million air travellers per year.

He, however, said there was no immediate plan to build a similar terminal in Sarawak as the existing airports were able to handle the current passenger volume.

The focus on safety of airports and to make them on par or higher than other airports in the region would be more challenging in future, he said.

Azmi said Sarawak had a lot to offer, especially for foreign airlines and as such, MAHB would continue to support other airlines to ensure efficient operations. – Bernama

This article is a verbatim copy of the original article from The Star.