SEPANG: The Philippines’ national carrier is making a comeback to the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA), a move that will further push traffic growth at the airport.
Last year, KLIA recorded more than seven per cent passenger growth. Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB) managing director Datuk Badlisham Ghazali said the Philippine Airlines, which stopped flying to KLIA three years ago, would return to KLIA next week.
Badlisham said this on the sidelines of MAHB’s 25th anniversary celebration, here, yesterday. Last week, MAHB had welcomed Nepal’s Himalaya Airlines, which started direct flights from Kathmandu to Kuala Lumpur.
Badlisham also said MAHB was actively engaging with foreign airlines to fly to KLIA and the target this year was to maintain up to six new carriers flying to the main terminal in Sepang.
“We are talking to a bunch of new airlines, and yes, we think we will get about the same number (five to six) of new airlines,” he said.
KLIA, according to Badlisham, was among the top 25 busiest airports in the world. Last year, KLIA surpassed the 50 million passenger per annum (MPPA) and grew by 7.6 per cent to nearly 53 MPPA.
KLIA also registered double-digit growth of 15 per cent last month compared with the same period last year. Overall, MAHB handled nearly 89 million passenger traffic in all of its airports in Malaysia last year.
Meanwhile, Badlisham said MAHB planned to spend over RM100 million for upgrading works at all of its 39 airports in the country. These airports include KLIA, Sultan Ismail Petra Airport (in Kota Bharu) and Langkawi International Airport.
“There will be a lot of upgrades not only in the airside but also on the basic facilities.” “As you know, KLIA especially is almost 20 years old. It’s a bit dated in some of its facilities.
The toilets will be one of the upgrades involved this year,” said Badlisham. MAHB closed nine sen, or 1.35 per cent, lower at RM6.60 yesterday.
Source: New Straits Times | 15 Feb. 2017
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