AirAsia pins hopes on KKIA T2 reopening to fly in more tourists
KOTA KINABALU: AirAsia is pinning its hopes on the reopening of Kota Kinabalu International Airport Terminal 2 (KKIA T2), and is confident that it can bring in two more million tourists from the current three million.
AirAsia Berhad group chief executive officer Tan Sri Tony Fernandes, said the low-cost airline believes reopening the airport will enable AirAsia to continue the growth it had before, and more.
“We used to grow at 36 percent a year at KKIA T2 and with its reopening, we think we can bring in five million tourists to Sabah in the short term, as opposed to our current figure at approximately three million.
“The big difference between then and now is that AirAsia X has gotten much more confident in Sabah and we want to start flights from Kota Kinabalu to India, the northern part of Asia including China, Japan and Korea, as well as Australia. KKIA T2 is important in this expansion,” he said.
Fernandes estimated a RM20 million budget to reopen the airport, factoring in renovations to be made, and said it could be reopened in six months or less.
The government and relevant agencies have also been supportive, he added.
“My team says we could reopen the airport in six months, but I think we could get there much quicker, maybe even in three months.
“The Ministry of Tourism Malaysia is very open and has said we should use the airport. We received similar feedback from the Ministry of Transport, as well as Sabah Chief Minister, Datuk Seri Panglima Mohd Shafie Apdal. I think the Chief Minister is thinking about the new airport and whether there would be wasted investment, but a new airport would take five years or longer to open. We have KKIA T2 now, so we should maximise it,” said Fernandes.
In addition, reopening KKIA T2 could create 30,000 jobs and help in human capital development, especially with the company’s digitalisation. Fernandes also said that the plan is for the airport to hold 17 aeroplanes and two Airbus A330s.
He is confident Sabah could bring in higher volume of tourists given its track record since AirAsia introduced its low cost carrier to the State over a decade ago, adding that more flights would also generate business and investment opportunities.
“Sabah tourism has a lot to do with AirAsia. There was no one coming here but now there are Chinese and Korean low cost carriers, among others. I’m 100 percent confident Sabah can bring in that traffic. AirAsia came in 16 years ago with just two flights a day, but look at how many flights we’ve got now.
“We think Sabah can be a big hub in between Australia and North Asia, like Dubai. Sabah is a great place to transit to for tourists going to Australia, as well as the East Asean Growth Area (BIMPEAGA),” said Fernandes.