MELAKA INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT TO BE OPENED ON 4TH. FEBRUARY 2010

MELAKA INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT TO BE OFFICIALLY DECLARED OPENED BY PRIME MINISTER OF MALAYSIA ON 4TH. FEBRUARY 2010

MELAKA, Jan 27 (Bernama) -- Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak will make a one-day visit to Melaka on Feb 4 where he is scheduled to open the Melaka International Airport in Batu Berendam, Chief Minister Datuk Mohd Ali Rustam said.

The RM190 million airport, which has a new terminal capable of handling 1.5 million passengers a year, is targeted to be an airport hub for health tourism.

January 27, 2010 19:41 PM
Melaka Government Offers To Take Over Management Of Airport Terminal
MELAKA, Jan 27 (Bernama) -- The Melaka government has expressed interest to take over the management of the new RM190 milion international airport terminal in Batu Berendam here.

Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Ali Rustam said the state government and its partner, Senai Airport Terminal Services Sdn Bhd, had forwarded the offer to the present operator, Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB).

"The joint takeover plan has been submitted to the Economic Planning Unit (EPU) of the Prime Minister's Department," he told reporters at Seri Negeri Wednesday.

The EPU's response was that the proposed takeover should be negotiated with MAHB for agreement, he said.

Senai Airport Terminal Services is the first independent air operator in Malaysia and has been running the Senai Airport terminal since 2003.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak is scheduled to officiate the Melaka International Airport on Feb 4.

The airport has a new 7,000 sq m terminal complete with various facilities to handle domestic and international flights. It now has the capacity to receive 1.5 million passengers annually compared with only 300,000 previously, and the main target is health tourists from Indonesia.

Ali said he had discussed the matter with MAHB Managing Director Tan Sri Bashir Ahmad.

If successful, he said, the joint venture between the state government and Senai Airport Terminal Services planned to reduce the airport tax which currently stood at RM52 per passenger.

"RM52 is too high for low fare airline AirAsia or Malaysia Airlines to operate using the Melaka airport," he said.

He said MAHB had given a RM25 discount for the first year and RM12 for the second year from the original charge of RM52 for AirAsia to operate at the Melaka airport but the airline's request was RM8 for each passenger.

"At the same time, AirAsia has also offered to manage the Melaka airport terminal," Ali said.

He said the state government's strategy to attract airline companies to use the airport was by reducing airport charges.

Only Riau Airlines presently uses the airport for daily flights between Melaka and Pekanbaru in Riau, Indonesia.

-- BERNAMA