Several possible solutions outlined but not in AirAsia's favour, says MAHB

Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB) has outlined several possible options with respect to AirAsia Bhd's complaints about the Kuala Lumpur International Airport 2 (KLIA2) which might not be in the latter's , said managing director, Datuk Badlisham Ghazali.

"The solutions we have outlined and are implementing started with the resurfacing. We've slabs and are now using the polyurethane compound at bay Q17, but the settlement has to be treated in progressively.

"If you (AirAsia) want a one-time solution, we do not have it because it means closing down the airport," he said, adding that doing it would be a hassle for the passengers.

Speaking to Bernama on the sidelines of the just-ended GLC Open Day 2015, Badlisham said, since its opening on May 1, 2014 till July 2015, KLIA2 has handled 26 million passengers.

KLIA2 is used by many airlines based in Singapore, Indonesia, Philippines, Australia as well as Malaysia yet only one has such a litany of concerns, he said.

Moving back to the Low-Cost Carrier Terminal (LCCT) was never discussed until recently brought up by AirAsia.

According to Badlisham, there was no more LCCT as it has been stripped down and works were being done as planned to convert it into a cargo facility.

He said MAHB would not compromise on safety.

"If there is an immediate problem that may impact safety, we will be the first to take action. We will not wait for the Department of Civil Aviation (DCA) to tell us to do so.

"As evidenced by the fuel leak incident last year, we unilaterally decided to close the affected bays and instructed KLIA Aviation Fuel System Sdn Bhd to undertake rectification works and preventive measures on the affected fuel pipeline for KLIA2," he said.

All the airlines were kept constantly updated about the situation and status, he said.

DCA, in a statement released last Saturday, said the depressions at the KLIA2's aircraft parking stands and were identified as situations that might affect the required compliances.

It also stressed that these issues were acknowledged by MAHB and corrective actions -- short and long-term -- had been implemented.

said MAHB has regularly engaged with AirAsia on many levels, where the operational and technical people would talk to their counterparts and discuss solutions.

"The airlines are informed before any bay is going to be closed. When there are items to be fixed, the aircraft will be moved to other bays that are operationally safe. Rectification works do not require all bays to be closed," he said.

In fact, he said, KLIA2 has a total of 74 bays which were adequate to cater to all the airlines' requirements and that meant "we can afford to close of bays provided we give advance notice, which we do."

He also said that bay changes were due to many reasons.

"It does not necessarily mean that there is something wrong with the bay. Sometimes, issues the bay are also caused by the airlines," he said.

In the recent incident involving AirAsia Indonesia Flight QZ0202 at Bay Q11, Badlisham said MAHB considered the incident seriously.

"When the incident was published by the media, MAHB had checked if a report was made with the authority but none was.

"We were not satisfied and viewed the closed-circuit television footages of the incident.

"The circumstances of the incident showed that the aircraft may have been due to the chocks not being placed properly by the ground staff which then caused the nose wheel to turn.

"When AirAsia talks about safety and uses this particular aircraft nose wheel turn incident to make a reference to safety on social media, we are curious as to why they did not report the incident to the authorities," he said.

said MAHB was pleased to note that DCA has recently announced its intention to investigate this particular incident.

"MAHB is just as anxious to know the exact cause so that we can all be accountable to address any issues safety for our passengers and provide confidence in the safety of our klia2 airport," he explained.

On the impact passengers' confidence using the airport due to issues brought up by AirAsia, MAHB said KLIA2 has complied with the Aerodrome Certification from governed the safety and operations of the airport within the tolerance level.

He stressed that safety issue was paramount to MAHB and the RM4 billion airport's compliance was verified by IKRAM Premier Consulting (IKRAM) and the International Civil Aviation (ICAO).

There are currently almost 500 flights daily in and out of klia2, including airlines such as Tiger Air, Cebu Pacific, Jetstar and Malindo.

Asked AirAsia's demand to make the pertinent certifications public, he said, the IKRAM and ICAO reports were commissioned by the government.

"It's not our documents. They belong to the government.

"ICAO sets the standards and DCA, as the regulatory body, has the authority to certify that the airport is safe for operations," he said.

On AirAsia's RM409 million of demand (LOD), Badlisham said, MAHB was still in discussions with its lawyers and would make its position known this week.

"I am surprised and frankly disappointed. I would say that MAHB and the Malaysian Government have gone out of our way to innovate and were bold enough at that time to invest in a dedicated LCCT and create an environment where AirAsia could thrive," he said.

AirAsia has benefited enormously from this to become the largest LCCT in Asia, he said.

"We will challenge the LOD," he added.

said the shift to klia2, with a 45 million passenger per annum (mppa) capacity, was not just good for the country, but it was also good for AirAsia and the passengers as well.

"LCCT, at a 15 capacity, was already congested whereby AirAsia cannot grow further had they insisted remaining there.

"At KLIA2, there is no limitation for low-cost airlines to grow their businesses," he said.

passenger traffic has grown by about six per cent since it moved from LCCT to KLIA2, he said.