MALAYSIA - Tourism Ministry Says No To LCCT Expansion Next Year

Bernama.com.my, December 18, 2006

The Tourism Ministry is against Malaysia Airports Bhd's (MAB) proposal to expand and upgrade the KL International Airport's Low-Cost Carrier Terminal (LCCT) next year.

Tourism Minister Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor said the proposal was not viable as expanding the terminal next year would complicate things and cause inconvenience to tourists, especially with 2007 declared Visit Malaysia Year.

"The announcement caught me by surprise. We had asked that nothing be done next year. We do not want to make things messy. Obviously if they are going to upgrade the LCCT, things would be a bit messy.

"We are expecting 60,000 to 70,000 tourist arrivals a day next year. Many would be using low-cost carriers and we do not want to make it hard for them when they land," he told a press conference here Monday.

Yesterday, MAB managing director and chief executive officer Datuk Seri Bashir Ahmad announced that expansion work on the LCCT would begin next year.

The construction of the LCCT, costing RM108 million, was completed early last year to cater for 10 million passengers a year. However, the boom in the low-cost carrier business had resulted in overcrowding at the terminal.

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