Business

Saturday June 30, 2012

6.9% growth in KLIA first-quarter passenger movement

By NG BEI SHAN
beishan@thestar.com.my


SEPANG: Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) recorded a 6.9% growth in passenger movement to 9.6 million in the first quarter of 2012 from 8.9 million in the previous corresponding quarter.

“We are on track to achieve the target of 40 million passengers for KLIA by the end of 2012,” Malaysian Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB) chief operating officer Datuk Abdul Hamid Mohd Ali told reporters at KLIA's 14th anniversary celebration.

The airport served 37.7 million passengers in 2011, an increase of 10.7% against 34.1 million in 2010.

He said the growth was attributed by factors such as an increase in flight frequencies, commencement of new routes from airline partners and the airline's incentive initiative, which included low landing charges for aircraft.

“KLIA has once again launched itself in terms of providing a world standard service. We already take into consideration the landing of a big plane when KLIA was planned,” he said, drawing example of the arrival of MAS' first Airbus A380 yesterday morning.

Although much of the company's capital expenditure is focused on KLIA 2, he said: “There will be an on-going expenditure for upgrading and maintenance of the current airport.”

MAHB has spent RM40mil to modify KLIA's baggage system and another RM50mil to upgrade its close-circuit television surveillance system last year.

Currently, KLIA and the Low-Cost Carrier Terminal (LCCT) have a combined capacity of about 43million-45 million passengers. Upon completion of KLIA 2 next year, KLIA's capacity will be 70 million passengers.

Hamid also said LCCT would be closed and all low-cost operations would be transferred to KLIA 2 when it was fully completed.

Up to end of May this year, KLIA and LCCT recorded a total of 16 million passengers.

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