KLIA 2 Construction Progressing On Schedule

By Linda Khoo SEPANG (Selangor, Malaysia), March 5 (Bernama) -- The new low-cost carrier terminal, KL International Airport 2 (KLIA 2), with the capacity to cater to 45 million passengers yearly, is almost half-way completed and is on schedule, said Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB) managing director and chief executive officer, Bashir Ahmad on Monday. He said work on the 257,000-sq metre KLIA 2, which is due for completion in April next year, started in October 2009. The cost of the LCCT will be between RM3.6 billion (US$ 1.19 billion) and RM3.9 billion (US$ 1.29 billion), he told a press conference here today, adding that the project was within the budget. Earlier, Malaysian Transport Minister, Kong Cho Ha attended a briefing on the project with Bashir and senior officials at the MAHB headquarters before visiting the KLIA 2 site here. Bashir said MAHB expected to welcome more low-cost carriers to the KLIA 2 once the terminal is completed. "At the moment, the biggest operator at KLIA 2 will be AirAsia. Other low-cost carriers such as Tiger Airways will move to KLIA 2 and if there are new low-cost airlines wanting to operate at KLIA 2, they are welcome to do," he said. On the awarding of concessionaires for outlets at KLIA 2, Bashir said MAHB received overwhelming response from interested parties for space at KLIA 2. "The tenders will be done in stages," he said, adding that no decision has been made yet on the retailers as the exercise was ongoing. It was reported before that MAHB will be making the awards for the 225 outlets at KLIA 2 by July this year for a scheduled opening in April next year. Of the 225 outlets, 118 outlets have been allocated for retail offerings, 81 lots for food and beverages and 26 lots for services. MAHB expects an annual sales of RM1.6 billion (US$0.52 billion) in five years, judging from 30 million passengers expected to fly via the KLIA 2. (US$1 = RM3.02) --BERNAMA