AirAsia boss Tony Fernandes has flown into a spot of turbulence in Sabah where he wants to keep the airline in the low-cost terminal rather than operate from the newly-upgraded Kota Kinabalu International Airport.
Fernandes told local media the airline was not keen to move out of the Terminal 2 at Kota Kinabalu as its costs would increase and in turn force it to reduce flights, “causing Sabah to lose some one million touristsâ€.
Fernandes said the state government had been cooperative but an official of Sabah Tourism Board (STB) was among those causing some problems in the airline’s bid to stay on at Terminal 2.
State tourism minister Masidi Manjun said, “It is up to AirAsia to work out its problem with Malaysia Airports and the federal government.
“They decide how airlines operate at their airport, so for him (Fernandes) to suggest otherwise is not just a misrepresentation of the facts but unfairly dragging STB into the problem.”
Deputy transport minister Abdul Rahim Bakri Rahim said there were extra costs for AirAsia but these would be justified with improved quality of service.
The low cost terminal will be converted for cargo handling.
