KUALA LUMPUR: Increase in passenger service charge (PSC), or airport tax, at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport 2 (klia2) is a bailout for debt ridden Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd, said DAP lawmaker Tony Pua.
The Malaysian Aviation Commission (Mavcom) recently announced that it had to raise the airport tax from the rates charged at the previous Low Cost Carrier Terminal (LCCT) due to the higher cost of running more advanced operations at klia2.
However, Pua said, the increase in airport tax is to repay debts of more than RM5 billion, which incurs more than RM250 million in interest per annum. “It is due to MAHB incompetence and questionable decisions which have resulted in substantially higher-than-expected maintenance cost. “Despite klia2 commencing operations since 2013, the airport is still plagued with soil settlement or sinking problems causing constant operational inconvenience and a state of perpetual repair,” Pua said in a statement. He said the airport’s “unnecessary grandeur in size and scale” resulting in extra-long distances for airline workers and passengers forced MAHB to build walkators throughout the terminal, adding to costs.
