AirAsia imposing RM3 'KLIA2 fee', MAHB denies charge theirs

SEPANG: AirAsia is charging its passengers a RM3 'KLIA2 fee' with each ticket booked since Friday, but Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB) has said it was imposed by the airline itself, not them.

"There is no charge such as KLIA2 fee by the airport. The airport charges are standard and applicable to all airlines at our airports," said MAHB in a statement.

"We have highlighted to AirAsia to explain this additional RM3 fee to the public," it said in response to queries over the fee, distancing itself from the move.

AirAsia Bhd CEO Aireen Omar admitted in an interview Thursday night that the KLIA2 fee was a charge imposed by AirAsia on all its customers, for both domestic and international flights.

"We did our own calculations based on the charges imposed on us by Malaysia Airports.

"The RM3 fee includes the aerobridge charge, the check-in system, and other new things implemented in KLIA2 that weren't available in LCCT," said Aireen.

AirAsiaX CEO Azran Osman-Rani emphasised that those were mandatory charges Malaysia Airports imposed on AirAsia and they did not have a choice but to pass it on to customers.

"In the interest to be collaborative and supportive towards our effort to move here quickly, we had no choice but to accept the use of the check-in system that were given to us by the authorities," he explained.

Signage around KLIA2 put up by Malaysia Airports stated that all airlines had to pay RM0.25 per passenger for the aerobridge user, airport tax of RM6 per domestic departing passenger, and aircraft landing or takeoff fee of RM3 per domestic passenger towards airlines companies.