MAHB Ignoring ICAO Clauses, Claims Lawmaker

21st Dec 2017

Last week, AirAsia Group Chief Executive Officer Tony Fernandes criticized the decision by Malaysian Airports Holding’s Berhad (MAHB) and Malaysian Aviation Commission (Mavcom) to equalize passenger service charges (PSC) at the two Kuala Lumpur International Airport’s terminals (KLIA and KLIA2).

Fernandes then said:

Why am I unhappy with Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad and Mavcom, because I want everyone to have a chance to fly. There are different sorts of travellers - one that have and one that don’t. We need two types of airports to give more of those who don’t have a chance to experience what those who have.

It seems that AirAsia is the only one criticizing the new MAHB and Mavcom passenger service charges policy as the same also came under fire by Petaling Jaya Utara MP Tony Pua. Mr. Pua said that the body is ignoring some of the International Civil Aviation Organization’s (ICAO) clauses and guidelines.

Pua said:

The ICAO specifically says that 'in general, aircraft operators and other airport users, including end-users, should not be charged for facilities and services they do not use. Hence MAHB is clearly violating this guideline when it increases the PSC at KLIA2. This is very simply because the facilities and services provided at KLIA2 are vastly inferior to KLIA.

He added:

If MAHB and Mavcom insist on hiking the fees at KLIA2, then they must prove how KLIA2 is an equal to KLIA to the angry Malaysians out there. If they fail to do so, then it cannot be clearer that the entire fee hike exercise is to make more profits for MAHB, particularly since MAHB has taken billions of ringgit of debt to fund its RM4 billion KLIA2 misadventure.

In response to criticism, MAHB said that KLIA2 is not actually a low-cost carrier (LCC) terminal, but rather a second permanent terminal for Kuala Lumpur International Airport.

MAHB and Mavcom announced earlier that the passenger service charges will be raised at Kuala Lumpur International Airport’s Terminal 2 from the current RM50 to RM73 per passenger as of 1^st January, 2018.