MALAYSIA. Malaysia Airports Holdings expects the number of travellers passing through its 37 airports to rise +5% this year. It handled 33.8 million passengers last year.
Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) passenger traffic is expected to grow by +5% to 18.3 million passengers in 2004 from 17.45 million last year. This is due to a number of existing or new airlines lining up new and additional services, said Malaysia Airports Holdings managing director Datuk Bashir Ahmad.
“Conservatively, we are expecting +4% or +5% growth both for KLIA and overall air passenger traffic in Malaysia,” he said.
“Malaysia Airlines, Royal Brunei Airways and Air Mauritius are expected to increase their frequencies and services, while Lufthansa German Airlines and China Eastern Airlines will start flying into KLIA this year.”
Bashir said that last year KLIA recorded a +6.4% growth in passenger traffic and aircraft movements rose by +9.1% to 139,101.
“KLIA handled 1.84 million passengers last December, or 208,250 above the previous high in December 2002,” Bashir said.
On the development of new and larger aircraft that can fly further non-stop, he acknowledged that there was a risk of airlines bypassing airports in the region.
“That is already happening today and Singapore without its big home base traffic is in more danger than KLIA.
“Emirates Airlines can fly from Dubai to Perth or Melbourne non-stop with their 777 Super Ranger. KLIA is also ready to handle the A380, which can carry 555 passengers compared with 416 passengers for a B747,” Bashir said.
He said MAHB was currently studying the traffic growth in view of the planned development of the second phase of KLIA.
KLIA has been planned to handle up to 25 million passengers a year in phase one from 1998 to 2008, 35 million in phase two from 2008 to 2015 and between 45 million and 60 million passengers in phase three from 2015-2020.
Bashir said MAHB would call for tenders for the development of a new terminal building for the Sultan Abdul Halim Airport in Alor Star next month.
He said that under current circumstances there was no need to build a separate terminal for low-fare airlines at KLIA, but only when there were 10 to 15 such airlines operating at the airport.
He said MAHB was also looking at new opportunities to manage other airports overseas. It has an 11% stake in Hyderabad Airport in India, which is currently under development.
MAHB’s 37 airports including five international gateways, 14 domestic and 18 short-take-off-and-landing airfields.
