SEPANG: AirAsia Group Bhd has ceased charging the RM3 klia2 fee for all flights departing from Kuala Lumpur International Airport 2 (klia2) effective today.
The klia2 fee was introduced in May 2014 to cover the additional cost created at klia2 due to the use of mandatory facilities imposed by Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB) such as aerobridges and SITA check-in and boarding systems, compared to the low-cost carrier terminal previously.
“Following our announcement last week, we have removed the klia2 fee. We have said from the very beginning that klia2 is not fit for low-cost carrier operations, and we will be going directly to MAHB for all the extra costs they’re costing us,” AirAsia Malaysia CEO Riad Asmat said in a statement.
AirAsia previously said that the RM3 levy was based on internal calculations of the mandatory charges imposed by MAHB on all airlines.
The airline decided to pass on the cost of the mandatory charges to passengers by charging the klia2 fee on all passengers, for both domestic and international flights.
During a Facebook live session last week, AirAsia Group CEO Tan Sri Tony Fernandes said that klia2 did not match the low-cost carrier’s objective of reducing the cost of air travel to offer cheaper airfares.
AirAsia and MAHB are currently embroiled in a legal battle over the passenger service charge (PSC) at klia2, following the former’s decision to not collect the full PSC amount, which was raised from RM50 to RM73 per passenger.
