AIRASIA-MAHB SPAT TO END SOON?
Fernandes and Raja Azmi, in their tweets, express optimism following meeting with finance minister
THE spat between AirAsia Group Bhd and Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB) seems to be over soon following their meeting at the office of Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng yesterday.
AirAsia group chief executive officer (CEO) Tan Sri Tony Fernandes tweeted that he had a great meeting with Lim, Transport Minister Anthony Loke Siew Fook and MAHB acting group CEO Raja Azmi Raja Nazuddin.
Fernandes said Malaysia was expected to have more low-cost carrier terminals as MAHB understood what AirAsia could do for the local aviation sector.
“More low-cost terminals are coming. MAHB now understands what we can do. Exciting time for guests, especially Malaysians... with more jobs and economic growth.
“Let’s hope the war is finally over and we both win together, MAHB and AirAsia. Of course, the big winner is Malaysians,” he tweeted.
Meanwhile, Raja Azmi tweeted that the meeting had been “productive”.
“A productive Friday! More great meetings to come as we gear towards becoming a global hub,” he said.
MAHB and AirAsia had been trading barbs over a host of issues, including terminal relocation, airport incentives and efforts to develop low-cost travel since early this week.
In an Instagram posting yesterday, AirAsia X group CEO Datuk Kamarudin Meranun said: “Alhamdullillah (praise be to God) on this blessed Friday. Deal done between AirAsia and MAHB. Working together for common good of the nation witnessed by both Finance Minister and Transport Minister.”
On Thursday, MAHB hit back at AirAsia for saying that the airport operator had implied negative growth was the reason for the airline’s move to Terminal 1 of Kota Kinabalu International Airport.
MAHB said the latter had taken its recent statement on its role in developing the country’s lowcost aviation sector out of context.
It also defended its statement about airport incentives, saying that there were several programmes exclusively given to AirAsia from 2002 to 2009.
AirAsia Malaysia CEO Riad Asmat responded in a statement on Thursday that there was no special treatment given to the group and that it merely made the best use of available incentives.