'KLIA East @ Labu’ gets government go-ahead: Airport part of 'massive city'
By : V. Vasudevan

http://www.nst.com.my/Saturday/Frontpage/2432799/insidepix1
KUALA LUMPUR: The cabinet has given the green light for a new low-cost carrier terminal on a 2,800-hectare site in Labu, Negri Sembilan, Transport Minister Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat said.

Ong said the new LCCT would be built under a private finance initiative by conglomerate Sime Darby Bhd and budget airline AirAsia.

The airport will anchor Sime Darby's "massive integrated city" development in Labu, which includes five townships with services in education, health, sports, high technology, recreation and entertainment.

The RM1.6 billion terminal will be funded by Sime Darby and joint-venture partners which could include AirAsia and Malaysia Airports Bhd.

Ong said the new terminal was needed as the current facility in Sepang would not be able to cope with the increased passenger volume.

Under its final expansion phase, after which there will be no more room for growth, the Sepang LCCT will have its capacity increased to 15 million passengers a year, a figure industry sources say is likely to be exceeded by 2011.

Including its Thai and Indonesian affiliates, AirAsia flew some 18 million people this year. The new terminal will be built to accommodate 25 million passengers a year, and last on present forecasts until 2030.

Ong said he could not give a timeline on when work would start on the new LCCT.

"It is up to them as to when they want to start work. For our part we will make sure there is connectivity between the Kuala Lumpur International Airport and the new LCCT.

"We want to ensure passengers will be able to move from both places speedily, smoothly and efficiently."

To be called "KLIA East@ Labu", the new terminal is slightly closer to central Kuala Lumpur than the present LCCT and will boast connectivity by both road and rail.

A 7km branch road will link it with the North-South Expressway and a 3km spur line will be built from the railway station in Labu -- a stop on the KL-Seremban KTM Komuter route.

Welcoming the project's approval, Negri Sembilan Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Mohamad Hassan said the KLIA would be connected to the new terminal by a 7km Express Rail Link (ERL).

Industry sources said a ground-breaking ceremony was being slated for late next month with construction planned for completion in two years.

When the new facility is commissioned, the Sepang LCCT, which has more than recovered its cost from the explosive increase in passenger numbers over the last two years, will serve other budget carriers, such as Singapore's Tiger Airways.

Mohamad said the siting of the new terminal near Kampung Gadong Jaya in Labu would boost economic growth in the state.

"The location is not far from the existing terminal. It will be an extension of the KLIA.

"When the airport is built, the state can expect economic development, such as housing estates and business centres, in the surrounding areas," he said.

Proposed LCCT to be privately funded
By SARBAN SINGH


SEREMBAN: Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan has told critics to stop making claims that the proposed construction of a new low-cost carrier terminal near Nilai was a waste of government funds.

Mohamad said they should get their information right before making unfounded claims as the proposed project was a privately-financed initiative and the Government did not need to spend a single sen for its construction.

“Some people are saying that this is my project and I intend to give it to my cronies. This is so pathetic,” he told reporters at his office yesterday.

He said even if the state government planned to carry out a project, it would go through the normal tender process.

Mohamad was commenting on claims that the proposed construction of the project was a “brazen” waste of public funds particularly when the economic scenario in the coming months was not expected to be good.

Mohamad had last month said the new airport, to be located between Nilai and Bandar Enstek, would be built to replace the present LCCT in Sepang.

He said the proposed airport, to be build on a 2,800ha area, would be bigger than the present LCCT which could no longer accommodate the increasing passenger volume.

The proposed project would be developed by Sime Darby, which owns the land, and AirAsia.

“We need a new airport as AirAsia now has bigger wide-bodied planes. Its aircraft fleet has also expanded tremendously,” he said yesterday.

He said the proposed airport would also be equipped with aero-bridges and state-of-the-art facilities for passenger comfort.

Mohamad said although Sime Darby, AirAsia and the state government had agreed to the project, the Cabinet would have the final say on the matter.

He expressed hope that the Transport Ministry, Malaysia Airports and the Department of Civil Aviation would support the proposed project.

Two universities and several private institutions of higher learning would also be built in the vicinity of the proposed project, which is located in the state’s central corridor.

Sime plans mega project,12,000ha multi-themed scheme to kick off next year
BY WONG SAI WAN


KUALA LUMPUR: SIME Darby Bhd will carry out a massive development project at the Negri Sembilan-Selangor border covering some 12,120ha, with the first launch expected next year.

The development will be based on five themes – health, education, sports, hi-tech and recreation – and will be located at its present Labu and Tanah Merah estates.

Each theme will be developed as an integrated city and the cities will be interconnected.

The first to be launched next year will be the Medical City, which will encompass training colleges, a medical centre of excellence, teaching hospitals and even housing units built for the elderly and infirm.


Datuk Seri Ahmad Zubir Murshid.
“We will even invite other medical companies, especially international ones, to set up their facilities in this city.

“We will also be building a nurses training centre to produce 15,000 nurses a year,” said Sime Darby president and chief executive Datuk Seri Ahmad Zubir Murshid.

He was speaking at a media briefing to announce that the Goverment had agreed in principle to Sime Darby’s proposal to buy up to 51% of IJN Sdn Bhd, which operates the national heart institute, Institut Jantung Negara.

Zubir said a second IJN would be built at the Labu Medical City which would also see four other “centres of excellence,” including one for cancer treatment. He said the five cities would be like “multiple Subang Jaya(s),” which was also developed by Sime Darby.

On the purchase of a majority stake in IJN, he explained that it made sense because the group’s healthcare division’s long term plan was to set up several centres of medical excellence.

However, he stressed that “it was not yet a done deal” as due diligence of IJN had yet to be done. He also denied that IJN made more money than Sime Darby’s medical services business.

“Last year IJN made RM20mil while (Sime Darby’s) SJMC made RM25mil. This is a marriage and not a takeover. The synergy from this win-win situation is tremendous,” Zubir said.

It's fine to me, if they really build two rail lines from ERL and KTM to the new LCCT terminal.....one for transferring purpose, another one (KTM) for the purpose of transport passengers from other cities in Klang Valley...

Lapangan terbang bukan projek kroni
Oleh Hussain Said
bhnews@bharian.com.my
Pembinaan terminal dipersetujui Sime Darby, AirAsia

SEREMBAN: Menteri Besar, Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan menegaskan rancangan pembinaan lapangan terbang pertama di negeri ini di Kampung Gadong Jaya, Labu, dekat sini bukan projek kroni dan ia tidak menggunakan sesen pun duit kerajaan negeri.

Beliau berkata, rancangan pembinaan di kawasan seluas 2,800 hektar itu dibuat atas persetujuan bersama antara syarikat Sime Darby dengan syarikat penerbangan AirAsia, yang mahu satu lokasi untuk terminal baru mereka.



"AirAsia mahukan terminal baru untuk keselesaan pelanggan disebabkan terminal sedia ada sekarang sudah terlalu sesak, manakala Sime Darby mahu memajukan tanah mereka.

"Kerajaan negeri tidak ada kena mengena dengan projek itu, malah tidak mengeluarkan wang satu sen pun untuk projek berkenaan," katanya pada sidang media selepas mempengerusikan mesyuarat Exco di pejabatnya di Wisma Negeri, di sini, semalam.

Beliau mengulas mengenai tuduhan pembangkang yang mendakwa projek itu satu pembaziran dan dibuat atas kepentingan kroni.

Mohamad berkata, tuduhan pembangkang itu jelas tidak berasas dan berharap mereka bercakap berdasarkan fakta bagi memastikan tidak dilihat jahil.

"Saya tahu kerja pembangkang adalah untuk membangkang, tapi bila kita buat sesuatu untuk kebaikan rakyat, ia bukan satu pembaziran, malah dalam hal ini, ia bukan projek kerajaan negeri.

"Kalau kerajaan negeri terbabit sekali pun, kita akan buat mengikut sistem tender terbuka," katanya.

ha....bagus lah, duduklah jauh-jauh. kerja kat KL, rumah duduk dkt tempat jin bertendang. lepas tu penuh lah KL tu dengan kereta...camner tak jam? nak pulak kerajaan buat highway apa semua...

uhhh....i don't understand what's in Ong Tee Keat's head....the area around present KLIA is still deserted, and they still want to choose another 'desert' to build the terminal...i think one day, melaka will become 'Kuala Lumpur' after all cities in N Sembilan become 'Kuala Lumpur' :lol:

Same here, I really don't get the logic of the planners...why is KLIA not expanded instead? What about the 2nd satellite terminal? The land is also there for a 2nd MTB, etc. etc. Does any one honestly think that MAS will be able to utilize this future space?? Maybe someone could convince me that there will be a huge demand by foreign airlines to fly here in the near foreseeable future!!

So "private money" wins the heart of the politicians, and these losers just pretty much rolled over and say "whatever-lah". Has it crossed anyone else's mind on what these politicians are getting in return for this quick approval with limited oversight? Tragic. What a waste of land for an airport when there's already one helluva piece right there where the action is!:dunno:

Also one last thought...almost no one likes to take a coonecting train or bus or taxi to get to his/her connecting flight after a long flight. Putting the new terminal right at the doorstep only makes sense!!!

Has it crossed anyone else's mind on what these politicians are getting in return for this quick approval with limited oversight? Tragic.

i believe there is.....

anyway, the tendency of building/developing township/infra far away from civilization will likely end up either failure or below target. these are the examples;

KLIA
Cyberjaya
E-Village
F1 circuit (smaller crowds)
Bukit Beruntung (township)
Lembah Beringin (township)

If they connect the lcct to ktm komuter it will boost ridership tremendously for ktmb and also it seems to be a good proposal to extend the erl. UK have up to 5 airports in London. KL will soon have 3 KLIA, Subang and LCCT hehe

Same here, I really don't get the logic of the planners...why is KLIA not expanded instead? What about the 2nd satellite terminal? The land is also there for a 2nd MTB, etc. etc. Does any one honestly think that MAS will be able to utilize this future space?? Maybe someone could convince me that there will be a huge demand by foreign airlines to fly here in the near foreseeable future!!



Easy!!! The entire KLIA current landbanks are in Selangor. The new proposed LCCT is in Negri Sembilan.

This is definately politically motivated. At the end, the people will suffer.

wth is going on with our planners and Ministry of Transport?

KLIA has one of the largest landbank for airport in the world... it means there's plentiful of land for development there. And i thought they want to make KLIA the hub for all air travels?
Integrating all at KLIA is the best way to compromise AirAsia, MAS and MAHB when the air is further liberalised in years to come.

If AirAsia wants to move out from KLIA, may as well ask KLIA/LCCT to shift back to Subang!!! :cheers:

(btw I believe KLIA's future is heavily dependant on AirAsia/AirAsiaX, not MAS not foreign airlines)

Map and distance from KL Sentral to Labu station (possibly got 3 km spur line, according to the news report on NST)

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t224/Nissan_FUGA/LocationB.jpg

The distance from KLS to Labu is approximately, 58 km...........add the 3 km spur line, the distance from KL Sentral to the future permanent LCCT, should be a little more than 60 to 62 km......so, a train, an express train, even with average speed of certain speeds are make the journey in about :

- At 60 km/h average speed, it may take a little more than an hour
- At 70 km/h average speed, it may take about 0.87 hour
- At 80 km/h average speed, it may take about 0.76 hour
- At 90 km/h average speed, it may take about 0.67 hour
- AT 100 km/h average speed, it may take about 0.61 hour

Fortunately, most stations along the Rawang-Seremban line are four tracks, rather than 2 tracks, thus, traffic disruption from other train services can be reduced.....

Map of KLIA surroundings............

As i see from Google Earth...

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t224/Nissan_FUGA/LocationA.jpg

The middle line is the border between Selangor and Negeri Sembilan...as you can see, i marked the KLIA and Labu station as a point of reference....

I have one concern though, if AK operate the new terminal, how about competition.......er, can we attract other foreign LCCs to the new terminal?

jap aku tak paham nih........ diorang akan bina lapangan terbang ( dengan runway ) baru kan ?

Bukan bina terminal lain kat KLIA kan ? Setahu aku Labu tu kat sebelah lain lebuhraya...kan ?

^^
Let's see what they can build with RM 1.6 billion

jap aku tak paham nih........ diorang akan bina lapangan terbang ( dengan runway ) baru kan ?

Bukan bina terminal lain kat KLIA kan ? Setahu aku Labu tu kat sebelah lain lebuhraya...kan ?


are u thinking that they build the terminal at Labu and the runway at KLIA Sepang? :lol:

are u thinking that they build the terminal at Labu and the runway at KLIA Sepang? :lol:

7 km ERL, 3 km from KTM Labu...

Same runway? I don't think so...haha

bodoh punya projek. KLIA tu punya luas, ministry of transport ni tongong kot (tolol + bengong)

Easy!!! The entire KLIA current landbanks are in Selangor. The new proposed LCCT is in Negri Sembilan.

This is definately politically motivated. At the end, the people will suffer.

Yes, I realize the different owners of the land. But couldn't something be worked out and have all options considered/exhausted before going against the goals for KLIA, that is to have an integrated facility (w/o all those unnecessary external transits) like most all world-class airports of the world? We have one just south of the border as a standard to go by.

And yes, the whole concept absolutely smells bad. Too bad the people under the flight path do not have a word in the matter. Talk about democratic country...what a shame!!!

i just wanna say...........gud luck to ong tee kiat.....hope dream become true...

bodoh punya projek. KLIA tu punya luas, ministry of transport ni tongong kot (tolol + bengong)

Talk about unnecessary duplication of infrastructure like runway, and the fact that MAHB isn't involved in this project..........

aiyoo kerje gile.then what to do with that 100sq km of klia land?even if its is built with private investment,there is no guranteed that this project will not be bail out by the gov in the near future.whoes else in this world built another airport 7km from the existing airport?whatmore the airport itself can be extended?why the hell that simedarby thing people will be interested to live in a township that had an airport?org yg duduk situ tak kisah bising ke?and most importantly whoes crazy idea to put an airport 70km from kl anyway. crazy! hassan gile and tee keat gile.mahathir pun gile.how to achieve wawasan 2020 when we are being administers by jokers...

I thought KLIA area is part of the federal territory?

^^

KLIA is at the outskirt of Selangor state, not in federal territory.............and very close to Negeri Sembilan border...

stupid gomen...stupid MOT....stupid MAB...

LCCT relocation to Labu raises many questions
Published: 2008/12/22
BusinessTimes

The government's nod last Friday to the setting up of a new low-cost carrier terminal (LCCT) in Labu, Negri Sembilan, has left many in the local aviation community baffled.

The move raised many questions, first and foremost being why Labu?

While it is a known fact that the existing LCCT in Sepang was just a temporary facility and will be replaced in 2010, many were expecting the new permanent budget terminal to be nearer to the KL International Airport's (KLIA) satellite and main terminal buildings, or at the very least within the 10,500ha designated for KLIA.

In fact, airport operator Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB) had announced as early as February last year that it had earmarked a site next to the KLIA satellite and main terminal buildings for a permanent LCCT with a capacity to handle 25 million passengers a year. What happened to its proposal?

And what happened to the plan to make KLIA the region's top aviation hub, competing against the likes of Singapore and Bangkok? Because with AirAsia Bhd (the region's largest LCC and a major tenant at KLIA) moving its operations from KLIA to Labu, that plan looks set to be derailed.

After all, the government had in 2006 conscientiously picked KLIA over Subang as the location for the present LCCT.

One can argue that the plan remains intact, since the new LCCT will be called "KLIA East@Labu" and thus remain part of KLIA.

Still, a current peeve among passengers is the poor connectivity between the KLIA main terminal building and the present LCCT, which takes about 10 minutes each way. One questions how the problem can be solved with the new LCCT being relocated to the farther Labu.

Questions also abound about what will happen to the present LCCT, which cost RM108 million to build. Will it remain to cater for other LCCs since the new LCCT will be totally dedicated to AirAsia? Or will it be converted into a cargo terminal as planned?

Another question is why are conglomerate Sime Darby Bhd and AirAsia getting involved in airport concession development and management? Is it a lucrative business? What role, if any, will MAHB be playing in this collaboration?

It is learnt that Senai Airport Terminal Services Sdn Bhd (SATS), which took over the Senai International Airport in Johor from MAHB in November 2003 and turned it into Malaysia's first private airport, is still struggling to make a profit, while MAHB is able to deliver a profit as its large, profitable airports like KLIA, Penang and Kota Kinabalu are cross-subsidising small, unprofitable ones such as Terengganu and Alor Star as well as due to income from its commercial or non-aeronautical businesses.

TH Properties rancang projek RM9b
22 Disember 2008 Oleh CYNTHIA YEOH

KUALA LUMPUR 21 Dis. - TH Properties Sdn. Bhd. (TH Properties) akan melancarkan beberapa projek pembangunan hartanah dengan nilai pembangunan kasar (GDV) melebihi RM9 bilion, di Bandar Enstek, Labu, Negeri Sembilan.

Ketua Pegawai Eksekutif TH Properties, Zaharuddin Saidon berkata, pembangunan hartanah itu membabitkan pembinaan kediaman, komersial, institusi dan industri.

Tambah beliau, sebanyak 25 peratus daripada 2,070.4 hektar bank tanahnya di kawasan itu telah terjual manakala 50 peratus lagi masih dibangunkan.

Menurutnya, TH Properties menjangka ia (bank tanah) mampu menyediakan projek kepada syarikat hingga 2020.

Zaharuddin menambah, pada masa yang sama, pihaknya merancang untuk meningkatkan saiz bank tanahnya dengan memiliki tanah di sekitar Bandar Enstek supaya orang ramai menyedari kewujudan kawasan tersebut setelah ia siap dibangunkan sepenuhnya.

''Kami mungkin akan mengadakan perjanjian usaha sama dengan syarikat atau pemilik tanah untuk membangunkan tanah ini, sekali gus projek dapat disiapkan lebih awal," katanya kepada Utusan Malaysia, di sini hari ini.

Bandar Enstek yang terdiri daripada projek-projek kediaman, komersial, institusi dan industri merangkumi taman teknologi, techpark@enstek, dengan keluasan 784 hektar yang dibangunkan sejak Ogos tahun lalu.

techpark@enstek meliputi techpark 1 dan 2 yang diilham untuk menjadi pusat perindustrian antarabangsa bertaraf dunia melalui industri bioteknologi dan industri penyelenggaraan, pembaikan dan baik pulih (MRO) pesawat.

Zaharuddin berkata, kawasan itu berpotensi besar untuk berkembang kerana ia terletak berhampiran dengan Lapangan Terbang Antarabangsa Kuala Lumpur (KLIA) dan Terminal Syarikat Penerbangan Tambang Murah (LCCT).

''Berikutan itu hampir 60 peratus pembangunan di techpark 1 telah siap, maka kami telah membangunkan techpark 2 dengan projek-projek seperti Bandar Perubatan dan Bandar Pendidikan Kuala Lumpur," katanya.

Jelas beliau, Bandar Perubatan telah mendapat kelulusan daripada kerajaan akan dibangunkan pada tahun depan manakala Bandar Pendidikan pula akan menempatkan institusi pengajian tinggi swasta luar negara.

Katanya, sebuah syarikat yang berpangkalan di Amerika Syarikat (AS) telah menyatakan minat untuk membeli 121.4 hektar tanah di techpark 2 tetapi cadangan tersebut masih lagi dalam perundingan.

Beliau bagaimanapun enggan mengulas lanjut atau mendedahkan pihak yang berminat itu.

Sementara itu, Zaharuddin memberitahu, pihaknya juga sedang berbincang dengan beberapa universiti di United Kingdom, termasuk Reading University bagi memulakan operasi di Bandar Enstek

''Disebabkan permintaan yang tinggi, maka kami perlu mengenal pasti pemilik tanah yang bersempadan dengan kawasan kita berikutan tanah yang tidak mencukupi.

''Tumpuan kami bukan kepada Bandar Enstek sahaja malah turut mengenal pasti beberapa tempat di sekitar Lembah Klang, Pulau Pinang dan Ipoh," tambahnya.

Ditanya sama ada TH Properties akan menaikkan harga rumah berikutan keadaan ekonomi semasa yang tidak menentu, Zaharuddin berkata, mereka tidak akan berbuat demikian kerana harga minyak mentah dan besi keluli telah jatuh.

''Kami telah bekerjasama dengan beberapa universiti tempatan untuk mengenal pasti bahan dan sistem baru bagi pembinaan supaya dapat mengekalkan kos perumahan dan mengurangkan tenaga kerja.

''Antara universiti yang terlibat ialah Universiti Tun Hussein Onn dan Pusat Penyelidikan Perumahan, Universiti Putra Malaysia," katanya.

Mengenai sama ada TH Properties berminat menawarkan Amanah Pelaburan Hartanah (REIT), beliau memberitahu, sekarang bukan masa yang sesuai tetapi tidak menolak kemungkinan untuk berbuat demikian pada masa depan.

''Kami mungkin akan bekerjasama dengan syarikat induk kami iaitu Lembaga Tabung Haji untuk membabitkan diri dalam REIT Islam," ujarnya.

KLIA East @ Labu bukan terminal baru
Isnin, 22 Disember 2008 Oleh Hussain Said

SEREMBAN: Rancangan pembinaan KLIA East @ Labu yang diluluskan Kabinet, kelmarin bukan satu terminal baru yang beroperasi secara berasingan daripada Lapangan Terbang Antarabangsa Kuala Lumpur (KLIA), Sepang, tetapi ia sebahagian daripada lapangan utama negara itu.

Menteri Besar, Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan, berkata KLIA East @ Labu yang akan dibangunkan di kawasan seluas 2,800 hektar berdekatan Gadong Jaya, Labu itu akan dihubungkan dan dirangkaikan dengan KLIA menerusi sistem pengangkutan jalan raya dan rel bersepadu.

"Ia bukan terminal baru, tetapi ia adalah sebahagian daripada KLIA. Itu sebab ia dinamakan KLIA East @ Labu. Pembinaannya memang menjadi keperluan berikutan kesesakan di Terminal Penerbangan Tambang Murah (LCCT) di Sepang, Selangor.

"Walaupun kerja menaik taraf LCCT baru siap, tetapi ia hanya sementara bagi menampung kesesakan pelanggan, tetapi untuk jangka masa panjang kita perlu membina sebuah terminal baru yang lebih selesa," katanya selepas merasmikan Pusat Latihan Usahawan Tani Sementara Sendayan di Felda Sendayan, dekat sini, semalam.

Beliau mengulas mengenai kenyataan Menteri Pengangkutan, Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat, kelmarin yang mengumumkan Kabinet meluluskan cadangan untuk membina lapangan terbang baru yang dinamakan KLIA East @ Labu.

Pembinaan KLIA East @ Labu itu membabitkan kerjasama antara syarikat Sime Darby dengan syarikat penerbangan AirAsia yang mahu satu lokasi untuk terminal baru mereka.

Mohamad berkata, pembinaan KLIA East @ Labu yang dijadualkan bermula bulan depan bukan saja menyokong dan mewujudkan rangkaian dengan KLIA, tetapi mampu memacu pertumbuhan ekonomi negeri dan kawasan setempat.

"Selain pembinaan KLIA East @ Labu, kawasan itu akan dibangunkan dengan bandar perubatan, pendidikan, sukan dan pelancongan sekali gus mewujudkan zon ekonomi berdaya tinggi.

"Jadi, saya bagi pihak kerajaan negeri dan rakyat negeri ini mengucapkan terima kasih kepada kerajaan Persekutuan kerana meluluskan cadangan pembinaan KLIA East @ Labu yang diyakini mampu memberi manfaat besar kepada negeri ini," katanya.

New LCCT will boost growth of central corridor, says Mohamad
Sunday December 21, 2008
By SARBAN SINGH

SEREMBAN: The construction of a bigger low-cost carrier terminal (LCCT) near Labu will augur well for the development of the eastern part of the state and be a catalyst for progress in the country’s central corridor, Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan said.

The Mentri Besar, in thanking the Cabinet for approving the construction of the RM1.6bil airport, said the state government would immediately form a high-powered committee to assist developers of the project to ensure no hitches in its construction.

“We are looking forward to the project. We will do everything within our means to ensure it gets off the ground and is built in the given time,” he said.

Mohamad said AirAsia had to move because it desperately needed a bigger terminal, more state-of-the-art facilities and aero-bridges which the present LCCT was not equipped with.

“The present LCCT was a cargo complex. We need a proper terminal to ensure passenger comfort and a new terminal is the only answer,” he said.

With Negri Sembilan set to have its own airport, the only other state without an airport now is Perlis.

On Friday, the Cabinet gave the go-ahead to a proposal by conglomerate Sime Darby and budget carrier AirAsia to build the new LCCT.

Mohamad said the state government would also ensure there was enough residential space in the area as more people, particularly airport employees, would move in.

“We are expecting an increase in demand for houses. We will also look into this and see how the state government can do its bit,” he said.

State Real Estate and Housing Developers Association deputy chairman S. Sivanyanam said several new housing projects are slated for the area in the coming months.

In GEORGE TOWN, Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng questioned the need for the new terminal near Nilai when the KLIA and Malacca airports were 150km away, CHRISTINA CHIN reports.

“Penang is the second most profitable airport in the country and we are desperately in need of expansion and upgrading, yet nothing is done. When will it be our turn?” he asked.

sebahagian KLIA ? erm erm..
i rasa masih terlalu awal untuk expand KLIA ke Labu.. maybe lagi 30-50 tahun.

Tidak operasi sendiri
Oleh SITI NOR ‘AIN MOHD ZAIN dan NOR AZMELIA AZAHARI
am@hmetro.com.my



SEREMBAN: Pembinaan terminal lapangan terbang berhampiran Kampung Gadong Jaya, Labu, yang diluluskan Kabinet kelmarin dan dijangka siap dalam masa tiga tahun bukan beroperasi secara sendiri, sebaliknya sebagai sebahagian daripada Lapangan Terbang Kuala Lumpur (KLIA).

Menteri Besar, Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan, berkata terminal itu akan saling berhubung dengan KLIA daripada segi kemudahan pengangkutan seperti jalan raya dan kereta api malah fasa pertama itu harus disiapkan segera bagi menampung kesesakan pelanggan AirAsia di terminal sedia ada.

Menurutnya, apabila pelancong dari Eropah mendarat di KLIA mereka boleh terus menggunakan kemudahan pengangkutan yang disediakan ke KLIA East@ Labu untuk transit ke negeri lain.

“Pembinaan terminal ini menjadi keutamaan kita walaupun LCCT membuat kawasan sementara bagi menampung kesesakan pelanggannya, tapi dalam jangka masa panjang kita perlu membina sebuah terminal baru bagi keselesaan mereka.

“Oleh itu, pembinaan terminal lapangan terbang di kawasan seluas 2,800 hektar itu dijangka dimulakan pada Januari tahun depan.

“Selain pembinaan terminal lapangan terbang, kawasan itu akan dibangunkan dengan bandar pendidikan, perubatan, sukan dan pelancongan, sekali gus mewujudkan satu zon ekonomi berdaya tinggi,” katanya yang ditemui selepas Majlis Pelancaran Program Komuniti Usahawan Tani Sendayan di Felda Sendayan, di sini, semalam.

Sementara itu, mengulas Program Komuniti Usahawan Tani Sendayan, Mohamad berkata, ia antara usaha kerajaan negeri untuk menggalakkan penduduk Sendayan, terutama belia, meneroka tanah pertanian mereka secara komersial.

“Selain itu, kita ingin menjadikan pertanian ini satu kerjaya yang mendatangkan pendapatan lumayan kepada pengusaha,” katanya.

HUH?????

You mean this has been approved by the Cabinet??? wtf:ohno:

Next time it will be Labu - London rather than KL LCCT - London.

The biggest question, can the foreign LCCs operate in that terminal?

Once again, my suggestion is build MTB 2 (next to MTB) to cater to low cost carriers and then Satellite 2 next to Satellite 1. Link them up with Airport Train. KLIA hotels, air traffic control tower, runway, hangars, cargo, fuel storage, other facilities etc etc shared between MAS, AirAsia and others. Systems go all kau tim!!! But this decision has spoilt everything!

i dont understand why they cant build the terminal next to MTB of KLIA...
Labu is not Sepang lah ... and will the passenger usage of KLIA calculated differently?

Don't be surprise there'll be huge problems to the public when the Labu thing is completed. And then AirAsia would have to pindah rumah again. Somehow this is the way how our govt plan our public transport system, last time LRT, Monorail, now LCCTerminal.

KLIA did have a perfect master plan!!!Are they trying their upmost best not to let be completed!!!What is wrong with these people!But never mind at rate the world economy is going. All Negeri Sembilan is going to get "Labu and Labi Airport"Yah dream on !

Better to develop KLIA with new LCCT


I REFER to “Proposed LCCT to be privately funded” (The Star, Dec 20). The Government should reconsider whether a new airport dedicated to low cost airlines’ operations should be built in Nilai.

The project may not be financed by the Government but several factors have to be considered seriously before work actually starts on the project.

First, operating two airports – the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) and the proposed Nilai Airport – within a distance of about 20km does not make aviation sense.

It will be additional workload for “Lumpur” the air traffic control centre at Subang Airport when Nilai Airport starts operations.

Apart from having to coordinate KLIA and Nilai Airport, “Lumpur” is also responsible for Subang Airport civil and military operations, and all aircraft entering Malaysian air space.

Approach and departure charts of KLIA will have to be redone and approved by the International Civil Aviation Organisation and the local regulatory body before it can be put into use.

Nilai Airport will need to have its own air traffic control tower and the necessary air navigation systems, including an Instrument Landing System and VHF Omnidirectional Range.

What happened to the Government’s plan to make KLIA an aviation hub in the region? When Nilai Airport starts operations, there will be a drastic reduction in aircraft movements at KLIA, resulting in under utilisation of the facility.

What happened to the plan to build an LCC Terminal with a capacity of 25 million passengers next to the satellite building at KLIA? This seemed to have fizzled out just as fast as it was conceived.

Would-be travellers should not be misled into believing that they would pay lower airport tax at Nilai Airport with plans for state-of-the-art technology and aero-bridges. This might instead translate into higher taxes than what is currently charged by MAHB.

The reason is simple – the shareholders of the airport will need to recoup their investments. The Government has no control over what private investors charge.

Thailand abandoned plans to build an airport for LCC operations as Suvarnabhumi Airport would then be reduced to just another airport in the region, and not become an aviation hub as envisaged. The Thai government opted to go ahead with the expansion of Suvarnabhumi to strengthen Bangkok’s status.

Our priority should be to develop KLIA with a new LCCT, not place private interest first.

WILLIAM DENNIS,
Subang Jaya, Selangor.

Kemuka cadangan bina terminal sendiri

KUALA LUMPUR 21 Dis. - Syarikat penerbangan tambang murah, AirAsia Bhd. (AirAsia) sudah mengemukakan cadangan pembinaan terminal miliknya sendiri kepada Kerajaan Persekutuan termasuk Kementerian Pengangkutan.

Sumber memberitahu, permohonan itu dibuat beberapa bulan lalu namun setakat ini belum ada sebarang maklum balas lagi.

Timbalan Menteri Pengangkutan, Datuk Seri Lajim Ukin ketika dihubungi di sini mengesahkan telah menerima permohonan tersebut bagaimanapun belum membincangkannya lagi.

''Saya tidak pasti bila, ia akan dibincangkan,'' katanya.

Sumber berkata, meskipun menyedari laluan untuk mendapatkan kelulusan pembinaan terminal bagi syarikat tambang murah itu sukar namun AirAsia tetap mahu 'mencuba nasib'.

Menurutnya, AirAsia mengambil keputusan untuk mengemukakan cadangan pembinaan terminal itu kerana tidak berpuas hati banyak perkara dengan pengendali lapangan terbang, Malaysia Airport Holdings Bhd. (MAHB).

''Saya percaya cadangan AirAsia untuk memiliki terminal lapangan sendiri pasti akan menerima bantahan, khususnya MAHB. MAHB sudah pasti tidak akan lihat dan tersenyum dengan cadangan ini.

''Namun, AirAsia perlu mempertahankan cadangan yang dibuat memandangkan AirAsia terlalu kecewa dengan pengurusan MAHB terhadap syarikat berkenaan,'' katanya kepada Utusan Malaysia.

Sumber tersebut berkata, permohonan untuk membina terminal syarikat penerbangan tambang murah di Negeri Sembilan dibuat atas inisiatif Sime Darby Bhd.

Terminal berkenaan akan dibangunkan bersama syarikat konglomerat itu namun kedua-dua syarikat itu dipercayai masih belum membincangkan secara terperinci butiran perkongsian.

''Yang penting AirAsia perlu mendapatkan kelulusan dan selepas itu barulah perbincangan lanjut mengenainya dibuat oleh kedua-duanya,'' kata sumber itu.

Semalam, Menteri Besar Negeri Sembilan, Datuk Seri Mohamad Hassan berkata, kerajaan negeri itu menyokong pembinaan Terminal Syarikat Penerbangan Tambang Murah (LCCT) dan berharap Kerajaan Persekutuan dan Kementerian Pengangkutan serta agensi-agensi terbabit segera meluluskan pembinaan landasan itu.

Cadangan pembinaan LCCT itu melibatkan kawasan seluas 2,832.7 hektar yang terletak di antara Nilai dan Bandar Enstek.

I knew it ... this thing came about becoz AirAsia is unhappy with MAHB....

Better to develop KLIA with new LCCT


I REFER to “Proposed LCCT to be privately funded” (The Star, Dec 20). The Government should reconsider whether a new airport dedicated to low cost airlines’ operations should be built in Nilai.

The project may not be financed by the Government but several factors have to be considered seriously before work actually starts on the project.

First, operating two airports – the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) and the proposed Nilai Airport – within a distance of about 20km does not make aviation sense.

It will be additional workload for “Lumpur” the air traffic control centre at Subang Airport when Nilai Airport starts operations.

Apart from having to coordinate KLIA and Nilai Airport, “Lumpur” is also responsible for Subang Airport civil and military operations, and all aircraft entering Malaysian air space.

Approach and departure charts of KLIA will have to be redone and approved by the International Civil Aviation Organisation and the local regulatory body before it can be put into use.

Nilai Airport will need to have its own air traffic control tower and the necessary air navigation systems, including an Instrument Landing System and VHF Omnidirectional Range.

What happened to the Government’s plan to make KLIA an aviation hub in the region? When Nilai Airport starts operations, there will be a drastic reduction in aircraft movements at KLIA, resulting in under utilisation of the facility.

What happened to the plan to build an LCC Terminal with a capacity of 25 million passengers next to the satellite building at KLIA? This seemed to have fizzled out just as fast as it was conceived.

Would-be travellers should not be misled into believing that they would pay lower airport tax at Nilai Airport with plans for state-of-the-art technology and aero-bridges. This might instead translate into higher taxes than what is currently charged by MAHB.

The reason is simple – the shareholders of the airport will need to recoup their investments. The Government has no control over what private investors charge.

Thailand abandoned plans to build an airport for LCC operations as Suvarnabhumi Airport would then be reduced to just another airport in the region, and not become an aviation hub as envisaged. The Thai government opted to go ahead with the expansion of Suvarnabhumi to strengthen Bangkok’s status.

Our priority should be to develop KLIA with a new LCCT, not place private interest first.

WILLIAM DENNIS,
Subang Jaya, Selangor.

yessssss...a totally agree with u sir william dennis....
a year ago, they planned to build the LCCT just next to the MTB. but now??what a crap idea..:bash::bash:

After having read most articles in the news media about this project, they have not able to clarify if (1) it is an entirely new airport (includes everything from ground up) or (2) just a terminal (using existing runways, and other facilities within KLIA) that Sime is building. Heck, there is not even a single reporting with a map! Even the forumers here are more informational and resourceful. Maybe someone could clarify...

If (1), then KLIA's role will be reduced significantly. Say adios to its masterplan of being a hub. At the same token, AirAsia will be isolated from other foreign airlines that still lands at KLIA. It will be interesting to see how it pans out in the long term.

If (2), then I guess everything will be same as the present, except the LCC terminal is privately-operated. Traffic will still be counted under the tally for KLIA.

I thought KLIA area is part of the federal territory?


KLIA is part of MSC but never under Wilayah

Tidak operasi sendiri
Oleh SITI NOR ‘AIN MOHD ZAIN dan NOR AZMELIA AZAHARI
am@hmetro.com.my

SEREMBAN: Pembinaan terminal lapangan terbang berhampiran Kampung Gadong Jaya, Labu, yang diluluskan Kabinet kelmarin dan dijangka siap dalam masa tiga tahun bukan beroperasi secara sendiri, sebaliknya sebagai sebahagian daripada Lapangan Terbang Kuala Lumpur (KLIA).

Menteri Besar, Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan, berkata terminal itu akan saling berhubung dengan KLIA daripada segi kemudahan pengangkutan seperti jalan raya dan kereta api malah fasa pertama itu harus disiapkan segera bagi menampung kesesakan pelanggan AirAsia di terminal sedia ada.

Menurutnya, apabila pelancong dari Eropah mendarat di KLIA mereka boleh terus menggunakan kemudahan pengangkutan yang disediakan ke KLIA East@ Labu untuk transit ke negeri lain.

“Pembinaan terminal ini menjadi keutamaan kita walaupun LCCT membuat kawasan sementara bagi menampung kesesakan pelanggannya, tapi dalam jangka masa panjang kita perlu membina sebuah terminal baru bagi keselesaan mereka.

“Oleh itu, pembinaan terminal lapangan terbang di kawasan seluas 2,800 hektar itu dijangka dimulakan pada Januari tahun depan.


next january dah terus nak start? semua designing process, land purchasing, road aligning, selecting contractors, erl/ktm rail extending plan, all are done within 4-5 weeks?!!!!

are they trying to cook instant noodle or what?

so so so sucpicious on this project.....uhh, do they wanna give us idea that ong tee kiat is more corrupt than samy vellu?

Labu ..Labu... Sejak bila ada tempat nama "Labu" dalam lingkungan KLIA ek ?

If this LCCT gets built, it will be a disaster....

- affect KLIA's dream to be aviation hub
- replication of infrastructure like runway
- too close to KLIA, better off build LCCT like those envisioned in KLIA, by MAHB
- foreign competition may not be visible!

Labu ..Labu... Sejak bila ada tempat nama "Labu" dalam lingkungan KLIA ek ?

next thing u hear KLIA's boundary is extended to Senai :lol::lol:



so so so sucpicious on this project.....uhh, do they wanna give us idea that ong tee kiat is more corrupt than samy vellu?

i guess so... since his PKFZ's explanation very dodgy too

If this LCCT gets built, it will be a disaster....

- affect KLIA's dream to be aviation hub
- replication of infrastructure like runway
- too close to KLIA, better off build LCCT like those envisioned in KLIA, by MAHB
- foreign competition may not be visible!

but why we heard very little objections in newspapers? are those reporters get too exited with that Bukit Antarabangsa or MACC/MCAC thingy until they forgot this fraud?

So construction will start soon... with the blessings from AirAsia of coz and perhaps Malaysia Airports!!!! APA NI???



'KLIA East @ Labu’ gets government go-ahead
Airport part of 'massive city'
By : V. Vasudevan

KUALA LUMPUR: The cabinet has given the green light for a new low-cost carrier terminal on a 2,800-hectare site in Labu, Negri Sembilan, Transport Minister Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat said.

Ong said the new LCCT would be built under a private finance initiative by conglomerate Sime Darby Bhd and budget airline AirAsia.

The airport will anchor Sime Darby's "massive integrated city" development in Labu, which includes five townships with services in education, health, sports, high technology, recreation and entertainment.

The RM1.6 billion terminal will be funded by Sime Darby and joint-venture partners which could include AirAsia and Malaysia Airports Bhd.

Ong said the new terminal was needed as the current facility in Sepang would not be able to cope with the increased passenger volume.
Under its final expansion phase, after which there will be no more room for growth, the Sepang LCCT will have its capacity increased to 15 million passengers a year, a figure industry sources say is likely to be exceeded by 2011.

Including its Thai and Indonesian affiliates, AirAsia flew some 18 million people this year. The new terminal will be built to accommodate 25 million passengers a year, and last on present forecasts until 2030.

Ong said he could not give a timeline on when work would start on the new LCCT.

"It is up to them as to when they want to start work. For our part we will make sure there is connectivity between the Kuala Lumpur International Airport and the new LCCT.

"We want to ensure passengers will be able to move from both places speedily, smoothly and efficiently."

To be called "KLIA East@ Labu", the new terminal is slightly closer to central Kuala Lumpur than the present LCCT and will boast connectivity by both road and rail.

A 7km branch road will link it with the North-South Expressway and a 3km spur line will be built from the railway station in Labu -- a stop on the KL-Seremban KTM Komuter route.

Welcoming the project's approval, Negri Sembilan Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Mohamad Hassan said the KLIA would be connected to the new terminal by a 7km Express Rail Link (ERL).

Industry sources said a ground-breaking ceremony was being slated for late next month with construction planned for completion in two years.

When the new facility is commissioned, the Sepang LCCT, which has more than recovered its cost from the explosive increase in passenger numbers over the last two years, will serve other budget carriers, such as Singapore's Tiger Airways.

Mohamad said the siting of the new terminal near Kampung Gadong Jaya in Labu would boost economic growth in the state.

"The location is not far from the existing terminal. It will be an extension of the KLIA.

"When the airport is built, the state can expect economic development, such as housing estates and business centres, in the surrounding areas," he said.

Copyright © 2007 NST Online. All rights reserved.

KLS to Labu is approximately, 58 km...........add the 3 km spur line, the distance from KL Sentral to the future permanent LCCT, should be a little more than 60 to 62 km......so, a train, an express train...

- At 60 km/h average speed, it may take a little more than an hour
- At 70 km/h average speed, it may take about 0.87 hour
- At 80 km/h average speed, it may take about 0.76 hour
- At 90 km/h average speed, it may take about 0.67 hour
- AT 100 km/h average speed, it may take about 0.61 hour

Based on my experience along the line, maybe the train can reach 120 km/h lol

I'm SAD for Malaysian travellers, Klang Valley people

Here's some info I wish to conclude:

- called KLIA East @ Labu
- exact location: Kampung Gadong Jaya @ Labu, Negeri Sembilan (near Bandar Enstek and Bandar Baru Nilai)
- situated somewhere nearer to KL than precent LCCT, but in another state and *could* still be within KLIA's 100km2 masterplan
- RM1.6 billion low cost terminal
- new LCCT land area: 2,800 hectare
- privately funded by Sime Darby and AirAsia with a third party option perhaps jv with MAHB and TH Properties (developer of Enstek)
- terminal is exclusively for AirAsia and affiliates
- capacity: 25mil terminal until year 2030 (below analysts' expectation of 30 to 35mil, and that's short-sighted plan again!!!)
- this capacity *may* cause international agencies to recognise the terminal separately of KLIA
- present LCCT to be retained for other regional LCCs
- permanent 30mil LCCT proposed next to MTB of KLIA is scrapped
- ERL to be extended 7km to connect new LCCT and KLIA
- a 7km branch road to connect new LCCT to North South Expressway
- a 3km railway line to connect new LCCT and Labu KTM Railway station (that's quite far!!!)
- i believe new facilities are built for this terminal including control tower, runway, fuel storage, maintenance, hangars, etc etc etc. How about Tune Air's hotel?
- ground breaking is rumoured slated for end of Jan 2009
- already approved by MoTransport and Cabinet, project is pending signing of agreements...
- investors of AirAsia welcome the initiative by the company to operate its own terminal (not necessary they approve the location) as proven by 4% share increment today


You guys better make some noise... becoz the majority of the public doesn't KNOW it becoz it's not on MAIN PAGE of the newspapers

^^

Surprisingly, on newspaper columns.................i don't see any objection on the new LCCT!

^^

Surprisingly, on newspaper columns.................i don't see any objection on the new LCCT!


that's partly becoz very few ppl knows about it including my parents n frens ... and Tony hasnt talk about it yet! OTK's words dont seem to carry much weight :lol

This decision seems to be a WIN WIN situation for MAS and AirAsia. MAS gets the whole KLIA while AirAsia gets its own terminal at lower rental rates (coz is Labu). As you can see, both airlines will monopolise their respective terminal, and may not share common facilities.

The public, particularly Klang Valley folks, are the ones SUFFERING!!! The foreigners will find it quite ridiculous as well.

I STRONGLY ASK OTK TO EXPLAIN WHY SUCH A HANKY PANKY MOVE & WHY THE PUBLIC HAS BEEN MISLEAD TO BELIEVE A NEW TERMINAL NEXT TO MAIN TERMINAL?

Other things to ponder:
- why RM1.6 billion terminal while present LCCT only RM110mil
- so now we have Subang (Firefly) - KLIA (MAS) - Labu (AirAsia) - Melaka un-integrated air hub?

Other things to ponder:
- why RM1.6 billion terminal while present LCCT only RM110mil
- so now we have Subang (Firefly) - KLIA (MAS) - Labu (AirAsia) - Melaka un-integrated air hub?


A permanent and proper air terminal need that kind of money. Have you seen how 'warehouse-like' our current LCCT is? It is a shame compared to our neighbour's LCC Terminal which is smaller.

Yea......Dr. M's dream of an integrated air hub is now in shatters. Subang should remain a maintenance and expo facility and all flights should be going to KLIA irregardless if it is turboprop or jet.

No matter how good the transportation netword is, having a terminal 20km away is not better than having one next door. I would like to travel by a MTB-Sat bldg Bombardier train than to travel via ERL when I transit from KLIA proper to the LCCT. So by having a permanent LCC Terminal within the KLIA complex makes much sense. :yes:

Poor land management and ignorant government is what I could say. Can you guys imagine how small N.9 is? Those land at and around Labu can be better used in-lieu of LCCT. So, what r they going to do with the huge land bank at KLIA? The government should just ask Air Asia to build the LCCT next to the Main Terminal and be connected by aerotrain. If Air Asia said it pays a lot to MAHB, then just pass the cost to the passenger. Every airline is paying the same and still flies to KLIA. Air Asia might pay less too, who knows. And mind Tony, MAHB's airport tax is already the lowest compared to others. What else does he want? Free?

Analysts: AirAsia clear winner in LCCT relocation
By Kang Siew Li Published: 2008/12/23

AirAsia Bhd (5099) is expected to emerge as the main beneficiary from the move to set up and operate a new low-cost carrier terminal (LCCT) in Labu, Negri Sembilan, due to potential savings from lower airport charges, say analysts.

On the flip side, Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB) stands to lose the most, with some analysts estimating the airport operator could forego as much as RM175 million in aeronautical revenue per year.

AirAsia shares rose as much as 3.8 per cent to an intra-day high of RM0.965, before closing unchanged at RM0.93 yesterday, after the government on Friday gave its nod to the new LCCT by conglomerate Sime Darby Bhd and AirAsia.

MAHB shares closed up three sen or 1.4 per cent to RM2.23.

A source close to the matter told Business Times that AirAsia could grow its business faster by having its own airport.

"The carrier has been growing its business successfully with passenger numbers increasing by double digits each year. However, it could have grown at a significantly faster rate were it not for the limitations on capacity at the current LCCT (which can only handle 10 million passengers)," the source said.

It is understood that the LCCT in Labu could also be ready earlier than MAHB's proposed expansion plans in Sepang.

"It takes much longer for MAHB to move its permanent LCCT plan forward because it is dependent on the government for funds. However, that won't be the case for the new airport in Labu since it is a private sector-driven initiative," the source added.

OSK Research Sdn Bhd analyst Ng Sem Guan sees AirAsia as the clear winner from the latest move.

"AirAsia may bring down the cost of running the new airport based on its low operation costs model, but with current budget passengers already enjoying lower passenger service charges (PSC) and passenger service security charges (PSSC) from MAHB, we are doubtful that the quantum of savings will eventually be passed on to the passengers," he wrote in a report yesterday.

On top of that, AirAsia also enjoys various incentives in the form of lower or free landing and parking fees for introducing new routes.

"Thus, the new airport may not necessarily result in significantly lower cost although we would rather think that the company may continue to lower operating costs similar to the previous years," said Ng, upgrading AirAsia's fair value to RM0.93 and its recommendation to "neutral" from "sell".

The AirAsia group (comprising AirAsia Bhd, Thai AirAsia, Indonesia AirAsia and AirAsia X) is currently the major user of the present LCCT-KLIA (in Sepang), having carried 7.6 million passengers last year, a combination of domestic and international traffic.

"As the figures are likely to exceed 10 million (passengers) this year or later next year, and continue to grow by double digits based on (AirAsia's) aggressive aircraft purchases, we estimate that MAHB may lose as much as RM80 million in revenue solely on PSC and PSSC," Ng said, adding that the number would be greater if landing and parking charges were included.

Ng believes the airport operator will not merely sit back and will seek government compensation if the new airport in Labu is to be operated by AirAsia upon completion.

"While there is no immediate impact on MAHB's bottomline in the near future as the new airport is only expected to commence operation in February 2011, this may eventually affect the company's long-term cash flow if the operation rights are loosened.

"In addition, there are still many uncertainties surrounding the new proposal by Sime Darby Bhd and AirAsia (to run the new LCCT), and we think this may negatively affect market sentiment on MAHB and investors may switch to value the immediate profitability," said Ng, downgrading MAHB to "neutral" with a fair value of RM2.39.

Aseambankers Malaysia Bhd senior analyst Khair Mirza expects MAHB's earnings to dip in 2011 and 2012 by over 20 per cent at the EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation) level with the opening of the new LCCT.

"Based on the estimated 10 million passengers at the existing LCCT in 2008 and a 50:50 split between international and domestic passengers, we estimate the loss of LCCT to MAHB's revenue to be RM125 million from passenger service charges, and about RM50 million from aeronautical charges," Khair said in his report yesterday.

LCCT baru: MAHB bakal hilang RM80 juta

KUALA LUMPUR 22 Dis. - Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd. (MAHB) berdepan dengan risiko kehilangan pendapatan kira-kira RM80 juta daripada bayaran perkhidmatan (PSC) dan keselamatan penumpang (PSSC) sekiranya AirAsia Bhd. (AirAsia) dibenarkan memiliki terminal penerbangan tambang murah (LCCT) sendiri.

Kehilangan itu adalah berdasarkan kedudukan AirAsia yang kini merupakan pengguna utama LCCT sekarang dengan kombinasi seramai 7.6 juta penumpang tempatan dan antarabangsa, kata Penganalisis dengan OSK Research, Ng Sem Guan.

Jumlahnya mungkin lebih besar sekiranya kadar caj mendapat dan meletak kapal terbang turut diambil kira, kata beliau.

Sem Guan berkata, kehilangan itu dijangka menjejaskan aliran tunai MAHB dalam jangka panjang sekiranya haknya sebagai pengendali lapangan terbang dilonggarkan.

''Meskipun cadangan pembinaan LCCT baru itu masih belum lengkap tetapi sekiranya rancangan ini dilaksanakan, MAHB akan menjadi pihak yang terpaksa menanggung kerugian besar.

''Bagaimanapun, kesannya bukan sekarang memandangkan operasi LCCT itu dicadangkan bermula pada Februari 2011,'' katanya.

Beliau berkata demikian sebagai mengulas mengenai cadangan pembinaan LCCT oleh AirAsia bersama syarikat konglomerat, Sime Darby Bhd. (Sime Darby)

Cadangan pembinaan LCCT baru di kawasan seluas 2,800 hektar dekat Labu itu dijangka membabitkan pelaburan sebanyak RM1.6 bilion.

Pembiayaan bagi pembinaan LCCT itu akan dibuat atas inisiatif swasta kerana dibiayai sepenuhnya oleh kedua-dua syarikat berkenaan.

Bagaimanapun, Sem Guan menjangkakan MAHB tidak akan 'berdiam diri' tetapi sebaliknya akan meminta pampasan sekiranya kelulusan bagi pembinaan LCCT baru itu diberikan.

''Apatah lagi, berdasarkan penelitian yang dibuat belum ada mana-mana syarikat lapangan terbang di dunia yang memiliki lapangan terbang komersial sendiri dan sudah tentu cadangan ini mendapat bantahan,'' ujarnya.

MAHB is a GLC, while Sime Darby is also GLC, so...GLC kills GLC? ....stupid government i must say!

Clearly there's lack of leadership in the country and it shows...too many indians making their own agendas...not enough chiefs. the whole thing is a farce that benefits only the corporations. the transport minister is plain clueless, and is a puppet. it's hard not to be cynical when the government does not look after its own interest (or the taxpayers' if one sees it another way)!!!

I used to admire Air Asia. Now I think they are just arrogant.

And nowadays, Sime Darby seems to make headlines for all the wrong reasons. First the IJN fiasco, now this...

LCCT: 'Kami tidak kendali'
24 Disember 2008

KUALA LUMPUR 23 Dis. - Sime Darby Bhd. (Sime Darby) hari ini menjelaskan bahawa pihaknya hanya menjadi pemaju dan bukan pengendali bersama Terminal Penerbangan Tambang Murah (LCCT) yang dikenali sebagai KLIA- East@Labu untuk AirAsia Bhd. (AirAsia).

''Syarikat ini tidak terlibat dalam apa-apa pengendalian LCCT ini kecuali sebagai pemaju sahaja.

''Kami akan bina LCCT tersebut dan kemudian akan diserahkan kepada AirAsia sebaik sahaja siap kelak. Dalam erti kata lain, kami bina dan jual LCCT,'' kata pegawai kanan Sime Darby ketika ditemui selepas taklimat mengenai pembinaan terminal itu yang diadakan oleh Sime Darby dan AirAsia.

Katanya, setakat ini Sime Darby masih belum menetapkan tarikh untuk memulakan pelaksanaan pembinaan KLIA-East@Labu kerana masih belum mendapatkan surat kelulusan rasmi daripada kerajaan.

Kabinet telah meluluskan cadangan pembinaan LCCT baru itu pada Jumaat lalu dan difahamkan surat kelulusan itu akan diterima dalam tempoh terdekat ini.

Menurut pegawai itu, sebaik sahaja surat kelulusan diterima, Sime Darby akan membawa cadangan pembinaan LCCT itu dalam mesyuarat lembaga untuk kelulusan.

Projek pembangunan terminal LCCT baru itu dianggarkan bernilai RM1.6 bilion, tidak termasuk harga tanah, dibina di dalam lingkungan Centre Vision Valley yang akan dibangunkan oleh syarikat konglomerat itu, selaku perancang induk mulai tahun depan hingga 2025.

Bagaimanapun, yang pasti LCCT itu akan siap dibina menjelang suku pertama 2011.

Beliau tidak dapat menganggarkan nilai sebenar LCCT yang akan dibeli oleh AirAsia kerana penilaian sebenar belum dibuat sepenuhnya oleh Sime Darby.

''Tetapi sudah tentu melebihi RM1.6 bilion kerana termasuk harga tanah,'' ujarnya.

Ditanya bagaimana Sime Darby akan membiayai pembinaan projek itu, beliau berkata: ''Sime Darby mempunyai banyak pilihan pembiayaan di pasaran tetapi apa yang penting projek ini adalah di bawah inisiatif sektor swasta dan tidak akan membabitkan wang kerajaan''.

Sementara itu, pegawai AirAsia yang turut serta dalam taklimat tersebut berkata, syarikat penerbangan tambang murah tersebut menerima pelawaan Sime Darby untuk membangunkan terminal LCCT itu selepas mendapati Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd. (MAHB) tidak dapat menyediakan keperluan terminal yang sesuai untuk AirAsia.

''AirAsia pernah ditawarkan dua kawasan untuk dibangunkan sebagai LCCT baru namun ketidakupayaan MAHB untuk membina terminal berkenaan dalam tempoh tertentu menyebabkan kami menerima pelawaan Sime Darby,'' katanya.

Menurut pegawai AirAsia itu, berdasarkan cadangan MAHB, pembinaan terminal LCCT baru akan hanya siap menjelang 2014.

Jelasnya, LCCT yang dicadangkan oleh MAHB itu hanya mampu menampung sejumlah 15 juta penumpang sedangkan pada 2014 jumlah pengguna LCCT dijangka seramai 26.9 juta orang.

Pegawai AirAsia itu berkata, KLIA-East@Labu itu mampu menampung 30 juta penumpang dengan 70 tempat letak pesawat pada satu-satu masa.

Dalam pada itu, pegawai Sime Darby berkata, sekarang adalah masa yang tepat untuk membina LCCT tersebut memandangkan kos pembinaan murah.

Selain itu, pembinaan terminal LCCT baru pada waktu sekarang dijangka mampu merangsang sektor pembinaan.

LCCT: Sime to play developer role only
By Kang Siew Li
Published: 2008/12/24

CONGLOMERATE Sime Darby Bhd (4197)said it will only develop the new low-cost carrier terminal (LCCT) project in Labu, Negri Sembilan, and not own or operate it.

Once completed by March 2011, it will then sell the new terminal dubbed "KLIA East@Labu" to budget carrier AirAsia Bhd, says a Sime Darby official at a briefing in Kuala Lumpur yesterday, its first since the government approved the project on Friday.

"We are now getting a brief on the specifications (for the new LCCT) from AirAsia and will hand it over to the carrier once developed," he said.

The official said the idea to set up a new LCCT in Labu was first mooted by Sime Darby six months ago to spur the development of its 5,261-hectare Negri Sembilan Vision City.
On the RM1.6 billion cost of building the new LCCT, the official said it is just an estimate.

"But the good thing about undertaking this project at this time is that construction prices are coming down. If we had done it six to nine months ago it would have cost us a lot more. Our initial figure was RM1.73 billion," he added.

He said the RM1.6 billion cost does not include the cost of land, but only construction costs such as the runway and airport terminal which will have a handling capacity of 30 million passengers per year and 70 aircraft parking bays.

"Yes, the sale price (of the new LCCT to AirAsia) will be more. However, we have not done the land valuation," he said.

The official also said Sime Darby has yet to work out the funding details.

"We only got word of this on Friday after the Cabinet meeting. (As such,) we have not made a decision on how it will be funded ... but the important fact is that it will be privately funded. There will be no government funds used in the construction of the new LCCT," he said.

He said Sime Darby will seek approval from its board for the project, but gave no timeline.

Once approved, it will then decide whether to develop the project on its own or with other parties.

"It is still early ... it (a joint venture) is possible ... the board may say it's a good project, do it on our own or maybe partner with other parties to mitigate risk," the official said.

Also present was an AirAsia official who said both Sime Darby and AirAsia have not yet received the official letter for the project from the Economic Planning Unit, but expect to get it in the next few days.

On the management of the new LCCT, he said the carrier may appoint a sub-manager.

"But we will be very involved in the construction of the new LCCT. Where we don't have the expertise, we will bring in that expertise," he added.

To a question, the official said the carrier may not need to own the new LCCT, but will consider getting an infrastructure firm that wants a guaranteed return.

"This is purely an infrastructure project. So for people who are looking for infrastructure returns this is a wonderful asset. There are lots of people who see infrastructure as a steady income flow, good returns.

"The point is that it is a hugely cash generative machine. The way we plan it is that it should be very profitable, yet reducing our costs and fares. (We believe that) it is a very viable financial model," he added.

AirAsia And Sime Darby Confirm Interest In Developing New LCCT
December 23, 2008 20:21 PM

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 23 (Bernama) -- AirAsia and Sime Darby Bhd have confirmed their interest in jointly developing and operating a private Low-Cost Carrier Terminal (LCCT) in Labu, Negeri Sembilan.

In a filing to Bursa Malaysia, AirAsia said that both had jointly expressed an interest to the government on this matter.

"The LCCT project is in the initial planning phase. The company and Sime Darby are engaged in preliminary discussions with state and federal authorities," it said today.

Sime Darby, in a separate filing, said the collaboration was an intergral part of the company's plan for its Negeri Sembilan Vision City (NSVC).

The NSVC is part of Sime Darby's Central Vision Valley property development project spanning Selangor and Negeri Sembilan.

It was reported that Sime Darby, which will build the airport, is expected to take up a majority stake in the joint venture. AirAsia will operate the airport.

The proposed LCCT has attracted various parties interested in setting up operations there, including Tune Hotel, a bus terminal, retail malls and factories.

Meanwhile, an official from Sime Darby stressed that the company will only be involved in developing the new LCCT terminal and once completed, the company will sell it to AirAsia.

He said the new terminal will be built under a private financing initiative with estimated construction cost of RM1.6 billion.

According to him, the new terminal is expected to be completed by March 2011 with a capacity to handle 30 million passengers per annum.

"The new LCCT terminal at Labu will be a major catalyst for NSVC. It will create more job opportunities and it will be a permanent infrastucture," he added.

Under the proposal, the new LCCT terminal will have integrated transportation link.

An official from AirAsia said the low-cost carrier may face a shortfall in passengers volume while waiting for completion of the new permanent LCCT proposed by Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB).

He said the new permanent LCCT proposed by MAHB is expected to completed by 2014.

"Completion date for the new permanent LCCT proposed by MAHB is too late to keep up with our passengers growth," he added.

-- BERNAMA

What's in it for Sime Darby at Labu LCCT?
23-12-2008: by Surin Murugiah

KUALA LUMPUR: Analysts are generally not too excited over Sime Darby Bhd's involvement in the proposed low-cost carrier terminal (LCCT) in Labu, Negri Sembilan, as owning and operating such an airport is not one of its core businesses.

They said the details of the cabinet-approved new LCCT, to be named KLIA East@Labu, still remained unclear, and based on the information available, the development was not very positive for Sime Darby.

Ong Chee Ting of Aseambankers Equity Research said issues such as the financing structure, the fate of the existing LCCT at Sepang as well as other foreign LCCs and government incentives remained unclear.

"What does the RM1.6 billion development cost truly entail? Does it include the airport runway and land costs?" he said.

Yesterday, The Edge weekly reported that the government had approved the construction of the LCCT, which Sime Darby and AirAsia Bhd jointly proposed to develop on a 2,800ha site owned by Sime Darby in Labu.

The report said Sime Darby, which will build the airport, was expected to take up a majority stake in the joint venture and AirAsia would operate the airport.

It also said the proposed LCCT had attracted various parties to set up operations there, including Tune Hotel, bus terminal, retail malls and factories, and that plans for a railway station connecting passengers from Labu to KL Sentral were being worked out.

Ong said: "Any involvement by Sime other than sale of land and construction of LCCT for the buyer(s) will be viewed negatively by investors as owning and operating an LCCT is not one of Sime's five core (plantation, property, motors, energy & utilities, and heavy equipment) or non-core businesses."

"Furthermore, with potential fire-sale of assets in the region, Sime Darby should tap on its financial strength to capitalise on potential bargains," he said.

Jupiter Securities Sdn Bhd head of research Pong Teng Siew said at the outset it appeared to be an unusual move by Sime.

"Does it have the expertise? Or would it set up a separate division on top of its already huge operations to undertake this business? It is hard to make assumptions now as not much details have been made known.

"The other factor to think of is that in Malaysia, a large majority of airports are run by Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd. So why is Sime getting involved in this venture with AirAsia?" he said.

Pong said the LCCT project might provide Sime Darby with a steady income stream in the long run.

James Ratnam of TA Securities Holdings Bhd said the proposed LCCT project could be a favourable venture for Sime Darby.

"Given the market's current conditions, it would be difficult for Sime to develop such a large land for properties on its own, especially in the area in question. By getting involved in this, and with AirAsia coming in as well, it is a good opportunity for the company to develop its land bank."

"Also, Sime could be responsible for the construction of the airport and then leave the management to AirAsia. In other words, it could lease the LCCT to AirAsia," he said.

He said building the airport and the surrounding areas would remain within Sime Darby's core business of property development, and not something out of its league.

The stock closed at RM5.50, up five sen, with nearly four million shares traded.

AirAsia prefers a low-cost terminal in Labu
By LOONG TSE MIN


KUALA LUMPUR: Budget airline AirAsia Bhd and Sime Darby Bhd have confirmed their interest to jointly develop and operate an RM1.6bil private low-cost carrier terminal (LCCT) in Labu, Negri Sembilan.

Approval for the terminal in Labu, to be known as KLIA-East@Labu, was expected “shortly, possibly in a few days,” officials of AirAsia and the developer, Sime Darby, told reporters at a briefing yesterday.

In separate announcements to the stock exchange yesterday, AirAsia and Sime Darby said the two companies have “jointly expressed an interest to the Government of Malaysia to develop and operate a private low-cost carrier terminal (LCCT Project) on the Sime Darby group’s land in Negri Sembilan.”

Both announcements said “the LCCT Project was in the initial planning phase and the companies were engaged in preliminary discussions with state and federal authorities.”

Officials of both companies said that while details had to be ironed out, the project, estimated to cost about RM1.6bil, would be privately funded.

The RM1.6bil was an estimate of the cost of structures and the runway but did not include the 3,000-acre land where it would be built.

“We are very much at the planning stage and the land valuation certainly has not been done yet,” a Sime Darby spokesman said.

Sime Darby, in its filing, said the collaboration was an intergral part of the company’s plan for its Negri Sembilan Vision City (NSVC).

The NSVC is part of Sime Darby’s Central Vision Valley property development project spanning Selangor and Negri Sembilan, a concept which includes seaside resorts, a medical city and a safari park, among others.

It was reported that Sime Darby is expected to take up a majority stake in the joint venture.

“After the construction, we will turn over the whole project including the land to AirAsia who is the client. We are not operating the airport,” the Sime Darby spokesman said.

AirAsia said the Labu LCCT project would address its overcapacity problem when completed in 2011 and that it was preferable to another LCCT project proposed by Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB).

The LCCT proposed by MAHB is expected to completed by 2014.

“The completion date for the new permanent LCCT proposed by MAHB is too late to keep up with our passenger growth,” AirAsia said.

Tony is afterall a typical businessman.

Labu ..Labu... Sejak bila ada tempat nama "Labu" dalam lingkungan KLIA ek ?

Here > http://www.traveljournals.net/explore/malaysia/map/m3318064/labu.html
Zoom in lah! located at the far right from KLIA bordering to the state of Negeri Sembilan!

The magic word here is "speculation"Sime Darby soon will launch a new township in that area. They have massive land bank there, so what better way of promoting it with this mumbo jumbo never will happen airport preposal!

i think after all these mess are purportedly created by Tony. He's a businessman and giving indirect pressure to the government and MAHB for lower@free parking/handling/landing fees and build new LCCT ASAP. He knew his company is not capable of running their own terminal yet building a new one from scratch. Remember what happened to his Subang proposal? He just created some noise so that the government will adhere to his wishes and give all. Very cunning fat bangla. This is the same tactic repeated for the second time. Building another airport which is so closed to each other is total nonsense.

Third World thinking.. This isnt sustainable in the long run..

Rm 1.6 billion/ RM 100 million that MAHB losses mean Air asia needs more than 15 years to break even if the charges of fees remained.. how about the maintenance aspect, utilities aspect, adminstrative aspects.. definitely the cost will pass on to the end users..

Good luck for Air Asia.......

Please look at the google map before commenting. If u see the physical location it will be another airport with its own runway not just terminal building. What is interesting here is the connectivity to KTM and ERL. Thus by shifting the LCCT to Labu, it may still count towards KLIA. Simply that MAS take KLIA and AirAsia has its own. But one of the concern that is true is why MAHB doesnt build the permanent LCCT earlier. Now is going to 2009. To be privately operated is fine since Sime Darby is a developer with deep pockets.

Please look at the google map before commenting. If u see the physical location it will be another airport with its own runway not just terminal building. What is interesting here is the connectivity to KTM and ERL. Thus by shifting the LCCT to Labu, it may still count towards KLIA. Simply that MAS take KLIA and AirAsia has its own. But one of the concern that is true is why MAHB doesnt build the permanent LCCT earlier. Now is going to 2009. To be privately operated is fine since Sime Darby is a developer with deep pockets.

OH WOW! Thank you so much...now why would anyone not think of that??? That's what I said about the resourcefulness of the forumers. It was asked because going by the local news reports, they send conflicting message on whether it's the whole package or just a LCCT (replacement of the current one as they say). Please be aware that this is what a forum is for...to clarify one another and putting forth one's comments, not to lecture and be arrogant.

Thus by shifting the LCCT to Labu, it may still count towards KLIA.

If it is a different airport, as you expertly said so that is "physically" apart from KLIA, IATA will not lump the traffic volume together, since the new airport will have a different code. They can name it to closely identify with KLIA, but technically, it is a separate facility on its own merit.:)

That's why using the current infrastructure makes complete sense...saves money and maintain KLIA as a hub with increasing traffic...everyone benefits! Well, except TF.

the worst thing about this proposel is that we will have 4 international airport really close to each other. klia and mkz/subang is just 70km apart and theres is labu which is 20km from kul.then what about sg besi? there surely some goon gonna proposed to turn it into the london city airport lookalike.

..... then what about sg besi? there surely some goon gonna proposed to turn it into the london city airport lookalike.

Please lah, don't give them fodder for more funny ideas :)
One nightmare at any one time should be more than sufficient !

AirAsia can't wait for MAHB, takes up Sime Darby's offer
by Surin Murugiah
Email us your feedback at fd@bizedge.com


KUALA LUMPUR: AirAsia Bhd took up Sime Darby Bhd's proposal to construct a private low-cost carrier (LCC) airport in Labu, Negri Sembilan, as it could not wait for Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB) to finalise plans for the setting up of a bigger LCC terminal to replace the existing LCCT at KLIA. aiyo pasal nie rupanya. :ohno:

Hearing of AirAsia's predicament, Sime Darby itself took the opportunity to approach AirAsia with the KLIA East@Labu airport plan, which would complement the conglomerate's multi-billion ringgit development project at Negri Sembilan Vision Valley.

Sime Darby and AirAsia officials called for a press conference here yesterday to comment on the Labu airport, which has received a lot of flak from analysts, particularly questioning the former's involvement in the off-beat project. The officials spoke only on condition of anonymity.

An AirAsia official said MAHB's plan for the permanent LCCT had yet to be finalised and if the carrier were to follow the airport operator's schedule, it could potentially face a shortfall of at least 41 parking bays for its aircraft.

He said the earliest possible date for the permanent LCCT to be realised was estimated by MAHB to be in 2014, by which time there would be a 12-million passenger capacity shortfall at the present terminal.

"Even with the extensions at the current LCCT, there would be a shortfall for both aircraft and passengers within a year-and-a-half. As it is there has been an 18-month delay in completion of works," he said.

"Also, the alternative sites offered by MAHB for the permanent LCCT were unsuitable. Seven months after the cost had been agreed, MAHB told us that the runways could not be built at one location because of the height of the express rail link track, while the other site was marshland where construction works can only start one year after it has been filled with earth," he added.

A Sime Darby official said it mooted the idea of the terminal some six months ago and had approached AirAsia on the plan, which was part of the infrastructural development that would act as the growth catalysts to its planned Vision Valley.

Sime Darby would build the airport on a 1,200-hectare land at its Labu Estate and it would be operated by AirAsia.

"Sime is purely the developer, and will sell the land and building to AirAsia. The construction financing has not been finalised but it would be totally private investment and no government funds will be involved," said the Sime Darby official.

"The RM1.6 billion estimated cost is for the terminal building and runway, and does not include the land cost," he said.

Assuming it gets the government's nod to go ahead with the project, the airport could be completed for operations by March 2011. It is designed to handle 30 million passengers per annum and would have about 70 parking bays for aircraft.

AirAsia group was projected to handle 60 million passengers per annum to use its services by 2013, said the carrier's official.

Sime Darby's Vision Valley will comprise self-contained cities with each particular theme - entertainment, education, hi-tech, recreation and sport.

"It could become the centre for conferences, sports events, tourism and even rock concerts in the region with the facilities that we are planning," said the Sime Darby official. "The proposed LCCT is also a catalyst for other development around the area, would create many jobs and lead to permanent infrastructure development," he said.

He said it was also an opportune time for Sime Darby to embark on the project as construction costs had started coming down.

The AirAsia official said a bus depot, and possibly an extension of the ERL service as well as a link road to the KLIA main terminal were being explored under the plan.

Asked how the airline planned to fund the acquisition of the airport and land, he said the company was studying various options.

"We might not even own the building. There are many private investors who view infrastructure as stable property that would generate a steady income, so we could even be leasing it from someone."

In term of economical wise, government should maximize the usage of current KLIA, as i have been told that KLIA has a massive land bank and what is going on for the rest of the land in the future.. In term of facilities, the new LCCT is certainly cannot provide an on par services compared with its peers KLIA, i don mind paying a bit more to have a better airport, at least i m not that boring when i m waiting for my flight in the airport, its better to have an aerobridge, it looks so awkward when it is raining, we are like running with umbrella in the rain during boarding, so pathetic!!

Extend the current ERL to LCCT labu is not a bad ideas, and how much does it cost? Does it ensure no future bailout from government?

Since LCCT labu is self-financed by private instituition, no doubts the cost will sooner be recovered from end users, so does Airasia can provide a cheaper airport tax in that sense?

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Sime Darby would build the airport on a 1,200-hectare land at its Labu Estate and it would be operated by AirAsia.


"The RM1.6 billion estimated cost is for the terminal building and runway, and does not include the land cost," he said.

Assuming it gets the government's nod to go ahead with the project, the airport could be completed for operations by March 2011. It is designed to handle 30 million passengers per annum and would have about 70 parking bays for aircraft.

AirAsia group was projected to handle 60 million passengers per annum to use its services by 2013, said the carrier's official.

i


lets built a new airport when the old one is still underutilized.and with 30mil passanger labu is malaysia largest airport.

LCCT in Labu part of Sime's Negri vision
By Kang Siew Li
Published: 2008/12/25

http://www.btimes.com.my/articles/xmas/pix_bottom

THE new low-cost carrier terminal (LCCT) in Labu, Negri Sembilan, is crucial to the development of Sime Darby Bhd's (4197) Negri Sembilan Vision City to attract investment and facilitate economic development, says a senior official.

He said the new LCCT, which would cost RM1.6 billion in construction alone, will promote economic activity, particularly in the construction industry, and create jobs.

"It will also bring infrastructure improvements to the surrounding areas, attract more tourists and the development of ancillary facilities such as cargo facilities and hotels," he told reporters at a briefing in Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday.

The Negri Sembilan Vision City development is the second part of a bigger national development project called Central Vision Valley (CVV), which spans 415,000 acres. The first part is known as the Selangor Vision City.
"Sime Darby is the master planner for the CVV due to the fact that we are the biggest landowner in this area. Of the total 415,000 acres in the CVV, 80,000 acres belong to Sime Darby," the official said.

The group expects to complete the development of the two vision cities by 2025.

"Being a massive development (CVV), we need to attract regional investors. The primary target is the Asean region with a population of 600 million, and the secondary target is the Asian market with a four billion population.

"That's why the LCCT is an integral catalyst to the overall development because we've got to bring in all these visitors from all over the region," he said.

Where the catalyst for the Selangor Vision City is the Guthrie Corridor Expressway, the official said, the new LCCT will be Negri Sembilan Vision City's.

The Negri Sembilan Vision City, covering 13,000 acres, comprises six property components. They are the Nilai high-tech park, the 500-acre Bandar Gemilang - an affordable housing township, a healthcare and wellness city, an educity, a sports city, the KLIA East@Labu and a tourism and entertainment area, which will be anchored by a waterfront resort development.

"Eventually, we hope to have a direct access road from the KL International Airport (KLIA) main terminal building to the KLIA East@Labu, a distance that is slightly longer to the existing LCCT.

"We also hope to be able to extend the express rail link (ERL) from KL Sentral to KLIA East@Labu. And there is a possibility of creating another KTM Komuter stop at the Sepang Circuit and onwards to KLIA East@Labu," the official said.

"However, all these proposals are still at the conceptual stage," he added.

Melaka govt supports LCCT plan in Labu
Published: 2008/12/25

THE Melaka state government fully supports the plan to build a low cost carrier terminal (LCCT) in Labu, Negeri Sembilan, Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Ali Rustam said.

He said the LCCT will indirectly promote tourist arrivals to Melaka as the proposed location was close to the state.

The state government is supporting the plan as it will also bring benefits to the state, he told reporters after officiating the ’Jom Ke Melaka’ campaign in Seremban today.

The LCCT will involve an investment of RM1.6 billion. It is to be developed by AirAsia Sdn Bhd and Sime Darby Bhd and the completion is expected in 2011.

Mohd Ali said by 2010, some 732,000 passengers will not be able to be catered to by the LCCT in Sepang and this figure is expected to go up to four million by 2011.

“Therefore, it is reasonable to speed up the building of a LCCT in Labu to further boost the development of the country’s tourism sector.

Also, the building of the airport will not involve government financing and instead the private sector will be handling it,” he said.

In his speech earlier, Mohd Ali said that as of November, Melaka recorded a total of 5.86 million tourist arrivals, an increase by 11.4 per cent or 596,752 visitors compared with the previous corresponding period. - Bernama

Sime Darby and AirAsia officials called for a press conference here yesterday to comment on the Labu airport, which has received a lot of flak from analysts, particularly questioning the former's involvement in the off-beat project. The officials spoke only on condition of anonymity.


The mind boggles :nuts:
If anonymity is so essential, why a press conference ?
Casts serious doubt on credibility of whatever they said there, and these are 'officials' of Sime Darby and Air Asia no less :)

Sime, instead of focusing their major role in developing NCER, decided to divert their attention and resources to Negri Sembilan with a very dubious project. Call this another misfortune of Pakatan Rakyat's state and mismanagement cum revenge by Umno-run Federal Government.

A waste of taxpayers money.

Because the KLIA is built by the government, any decision that affect its competitiveness should be seen as a backstep to make KLIA as one of Asia Pacific's commercial aviation hub.

i wonder...seriously wonder why MAHB din say anything to back their position....yes, all of them (MAHB team) are makan gaji (AirAsia exist or not, their salary remain the same). but at least you have responsibility to retain KLIA status as aviation hub...

mentaliti orang makan gaji (MAHB) dgn businessman (Tony)....huh, pening..pening..

AirAsia sees LCCT at Labu as 'terminal extension'
By Kang Siew LiPublished: 2008/12/30

Allowing Firefly, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Malaysia Airlines, to operate out of Subang is against the aim to make KL International Airport (KLIA) in Sepang a regional aviation hub, says an AirAsia Bhd (5099) official.

"There is a big confusion about this hub matter. Firstly, why is Firefly operating from Subang if everything is supposed to be at KLIA? That in effect has 'broken' the aim to make KLIA a regional aviation hub," he told reporters at a briefing last week.

The official was responding to concerns that the relocation of the low-cost carrier terminal (LCCT) in Sepang to Labu, Negri Sembilan, called KLIA East@Labu may derail that plan.

The government last year granted permission for Firefly to operate from Subang as the airport has been designated for short-haul flights by propeller-powered aircraft. Firefly uses the French ATR 72-500 twin propeller aircraft.

The official also said a hub is one where people can pick up connecting flights on different airlines many times a day.
"Changi Airport in Singapore, for example, is a hub. Why? Because you have all kinds of premium, same-service airlines operating from there. You can fly out with Air France and connect with Singapore Airlines and you have airline alliances such as Star Alliance and One World operating there.

"On the other hand, there are only two European airlines operating out of KLIA namely KLM Royal Dutch Airlines and Lufthansa," he said.

He added that most passengers on AirAsia fly point-to-point routes and thus, there is little need for connectivity of flights between airlines operating out of the existing LCCT and that at the KLIA main terminal building.

"As AirAsia X increases its route network, this need to connect (AirAsia passengers with other airlines) will be lesser. The only connectivity I see is that from the Gulf airlines to the LCCT. But generally their passengers would have gone to Kuala Lumpur, stayed a few days there and then come to the LCCT to fly to Langkawi and wherever. They don't go straight to the LCCT.

"As such,'hub' is a misnomer," he said.

Nevertheless, the official said the new LCCT in Labu will provide much better connectivity with the KLIA main terminal building than the existing LCCT. Sime Darby Bhd, the developer of the proposed LCCT, plans to build a direct access road from the KLIA main terminal building to the KLIA East@Labu, extend the express rail link from KL Sentral to KLIA East@Labu and add a KTM Komuter stop at the KLIA East@Labu.

He also pointed out that having more than one airport in a city would also not have a negative impact on plans to make KLIA a hub.

"London, for example, has five airports - Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted, Luton and LondonCity. Stansted is a low-cost airport of which AirAsia X is going to fly to. It is about one-and-a-half hours away from Heathrow Airport.

"While Heathrow Airport serves as a hub for full-service carriers, Stansted is a hub for low-cost carriers," he said.

The official also cited Dubai as an exemplary aviation hub, which is constructing a new airport at Jebel Ali, some 40km away from the existing Dubai International Airport and will be linked by a high-speed train.

"In addition, Heathrow Airport has five terminals. The distance between the KLIA main terminal building and KLIA East@Labu is actually closer than Heathrow Airport's terminal five is to its terminal one.

"So Labu was the option presented to us by Sime Darby Bhd. There were about five sites we looked at, including a fantastic one near Rawang. However, we picked Labu because we wanted to be closer to KLIA. We wanted to see it as one airport and KLIA East@Labu is just a terminal extension," he added.

The official also said the number of passenger arrivals at KLIA satellite and main terminal buildings is expected to reach 25 million and 30 million at the LCCT by 2014.

"Combined, we will be able to rival Bangkok's estimated 57 million passengers and Singapore's 50 million (regardless of the new LCCT's location)," he added.

In addition, Heathrow Airport has five terminals. The distance between the KLIA main terminal building and KLIA East@Labu is actually closer than Heathrow Airport's terminal five is to its terminal one.

Labu is so near to KLIA?!

LCCT Labu rancakkan sektor pelancongan
Oleh Hussain Said
bhnews@bharian.com.my

SEREMBAN: Kerajaan Melaka yakin pembinaan Terminal Penerbangan Tambang Murah (LCCT) persendirian di Labu, Negeri Sembilan mampu membantu merancakkan lagi industri pelancongan di negeri itu.

Ketua Menterinya, Datuk Seri Mohd Ali Rustam, berkata kerajaan negeri menyokong penuh pembinaan terminal yang dikenali KLIA East @ Labu yang akan dibangunkan dan dikendalikan bersama oleh AirAsia Bhd dan Sime Darby Bhd membabitkan pelaburan bernilai RM1.6 bilion itu.

"Pembinaan KLIA East @ Labu yang dijangka siap pada Mac 2011, sudah tentu akan memberi limpahan rezeki bukan saja kepada rakyat Negeri Sembilan tetapi juga kepada rakyat Melaka.

"Ini kerana, jaraknya lebih dekat untuk membolehkan pelancong meneruskan perjalanan ke Melaka. Di samping itu, Lapangan Terbang Batu Berendam yang kini dalam proses pembesaran dijangka dapat menjadi hub kedua untuk menampung keperluan LCCT yang baru itu," katanya.

Beliau berkata demikian ketika ditemui pada majlis promosi "Jom Ke Melaka" di Terminal One Shopping Centre, di sini yang disempurnakan Pengerusi Jawatankuasa Pertanian dan Industri Asas Tani Negeri Sembilan, Datuk Yunus Rahmat yang mewakili Menteri Besar, Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan.

Mohd Ali berkata, pihaknya berpendapat pembinaan KLIA East @ Labu itu wajar disegerakan demi menyemarakkan sektor pelancongan negara berikutan menjelang 2010 sejumlah 732,000 penumpang tidak dapat dikendalikan di Terminal LCCT di Sepang, Selangor.

"Jumlah itu akan meningkat kepada empat juta menjelang 2011. Jadi, ia wajar disegerakan, apatah lagi, pembinaannya tidak membabitkan pembiayaan kerajaan, sebaliknya dilakukan oleh pihak swasta," katanya.

betuah la tuan tanah kat LABU sana.

Proposed LCCT in Labu to boost Enstek value
by Surin Murugiah
Email us your feedback at fd@bizedge.com


PETALING JAYA: The proposed private low-cost carrier terminal (LCCT) to be built by Sime Darby Bhd for AirAsia Bhd in Labu will have a positive impact on TH Properties Sdn Bhd (THP) and boost its property values, said its chief executive officer Zaharuddin Saidon.

He said the proposed LCC airport in Labu would further increase accessibility and connectivity, both domestic and international, to its flagship RM9.2 billion development at Bandar Enstek in Nilai, which will help boost demand of its various development components.

“We therefore expect demand for our products to increase. Even now we have experienced increase in enquiries about our products and visits to Bandar Enstek since the news broke out,” he told The Edge Financial Daily via email.

Zaharuddin said the value of THP’s residential units and industrial lots in the @enstek enclave had already been steadily increasing since their initial launch in 1999.

He said the company’s single-storey bungalow in the first phase was priced at slightly over RM200,000 but had increased to RM300,000 by the time the second phase was launched in 2004.

“When we launched the third phase known as timur@enstek in late 2006, the single-storey bungalow was already selling from RM500,000 onwards,” he said.

He said the company’s industrial lots in techpark@enstek had risen in price from RM8.50 per square foot back in 2003 to the latest price of RM14.00 per square foot.

“This value enhancement was attributed to our endless efforts to create Bandar Enstek as the first planned knowledge-based community where we have as part of our township masterplan, the edupark@enstek and the medicalcity@enstek,” he said.

The edupark@enstek consists of a 28-hectare education complex by the Ministry of Education, a 120ha institution of higher learning under the Ministry of Higher Education, the 200ha Kuala Lumpur Education City or KLEC as well as the Cempaka International Ladies College.

Meanwhile, medicalcity@esntek is a 200ha integrated development that covers the whole spectrum of the healthcare industry with focus on medical tourism, which was awaiting the final approval from the federal government, said Zaharuddin.

He said the project was a tri-partite joint-venture between TH Properties, TSR Capital Berhad and the International Islamic University of Malaysia.

Zaharuddin said while THP had so far developed about 30% of the 2,046.4ha township, almost the entire development had been committed for future projects including medicalcity@enstek, KLEC, techpark2, resort living, theme park and business park.

“As such, we are already running out of land to accommodate the ever increasing parties that are interested to invest in various projects within Bandar Enstek.”

“For this reason, we had prior to this initiated talks with Sime Darby Property to look into jointly developing their plantation land adjacent to Bandar Enstek such as Tanah Merah and Labu Estates,” he said.

He said the idea was to let Bandar Enstek naturally expand into the surrounding areas, the developments of which could be planned to complement the key components of Bandar Enstek.

He said as Sime Darby had a larger landbank than THP, Bandar Enstek could blend into the former’s overall planning for a mega corridor that transcended both Selangor and Negri Sembilan with KLIA and the proposed KLIA East as the major catalysts.

He said Bandar Enstek had a head-start in terms of implemented development, and could serve as a ready hub to spur the growth of the corridor consisting of a series of state-of-the-art townships that were being planned by Sime Darby.

“In no time, the entire area will become a new hot spot in Malaysian real estate on par with Klang Valley and Iskandar Malaysia. It will take longer time if the corridor is to be developed from the existing ‘greenfield’ sites,”

“Therefore, we do not see this proposal as a threat at all but to be mutually beneficial to us and the various parties if we can strike a strategic collaboration that capitalises on each others’ strengths and qualities,” said Zaharuddin.

He said the take-up rate for THP’s previous launches had been 100% and its planned projects were on track.

“With the proposed KLIA East@Labu, the existing ERL line will be extended from KLIA passing through Bandar Enstek and KLEC. The ease of commuting from KL Sentral to Bandar Enstek will open up endless possibilities and opportunities.”

“Even faced with a global economic recession that is expected to affect our own economy by 2009, we are still positive that we can continue to sell our residential products,” he said.

Zaharuddin said THP had already initiated measures to reduce construction cost without compromising on the quality including via alternative construction methods and cheaper building materials.

our KLIA passengers will drop less than 25 million, and rank in world also will drop as well:bash:

betuah la tuan tanah kat LABU sana.

itupun kalo tak kena tipu macam kes PKFZ.

anyway, the site for new LCCT is fixed. no point to argue that anymore. let's hope for the design to be something 'wow' instead of warehouse like terminal...

AirAsia sees LCCT at Labu as 'terminal extension'
By Kang Siew LiPublished: 2008/12/30

Allowing Firefly, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Malaysia Airlines, to operate out of Subang is against the aim to make KL International Airport (KLIA) in Sepang a regional aviation hub, says an AirAsia Bhd (5099) official.

"There is a big confusion about this hub matter. Firstly, why is Firefly operating from Subang if everything is supposed to be at KLIA? That in effect has 'broken' the aim to make KLIA a regional aviation hub," he told reporters at a briefing last week.

The official was responding to concerns that the relocation of the low-cost carrier terminal (LCCT) in Sepang to Labu, Negri Sembilan, called KLIA East@Labu may derail that plan.

The government last year granted permission for Firefly to operate from Subang as the airport has been designated for short-haul flights by propeller-powered aircraft. Firefly uses the French ATR 72-500 twin propeller aircraft.

The official also said a hub is one where people can pick up connecting flights on different airlines many times a day.
"Changi Airport in Singapore, for example, is a hub. Why? Because you have all kinds of premium, same-service airlines operating from there. You can fly out with Air France and connect with Singapore Airlines and you have airline alliances such as Star Alliance and One World operating there.

"On the other hand, there are only two European airlines operating out of KLIA namely KLM Royal Dutch Airlines and Lufthansa," he said.

He added that most passengers on AirAsia fly point-to-point routes and thus, there is little need for connectivity of flights between airlines operating out of the existing LCCT and that at the KLIA main terminal building.

"As AirAsia X increases its route network, this need to connect (AirAsia passengers with other airlines) will be lesser. The only connectivity I see is that from the Gulf airlines to the LCCT. But generally their passengers would have gone to Kuala Lumpur, stayed a few days there and then come to the LCCT to fly to Langkawi and wherever. They don't go straight to the LCCT.

"As such,'hub' is a misnomer," he said.

Nevertheless, the official said the new LCCT in Labu will provide much better connectivity with the KLIA main terminal building than the existing LCCT. Sime Darby Bhd, the developer of the proposed LCCT, plans to build a direct access road from the KLIA main terminal building to the KLIA East@Labu, extend the express rail link from KL Sentral to KLIA East@Labu and add a KTM Komuter stop at the KLIA East@Labu.

He also pointed out that having more than one airport in a city would also not have a negative impact on plans to make KLIA a hub.

"London, for example, has five airports - Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted, Luton and LondonCity. Stansted is a low-cost airport of which AirAsia X is going to fly to. It is about one-and-a-half hours away from Heathrow Airport.

"While Heathrow Airport serves as a hub for full-service carriers, Stansted is a hub for low-cost carriers," he said.

The official also cited Dubai as an exemplary aviation hub, which is constructing a new airport at Jebel Ali, some 40km away from the existing Dubai International Airport and will be linked by a high-speed train.

"In addition, Heathrow Airport has five terminals. The distance between the KLIA main terminal building and KLIA East@Labu is actually closer than Heathrow Airport's terminal five is to its terminal one.

"So Labu was the option presented to us by Sime Darby Bhd. There were about five sites we looked at, including a fantastic one near Rawang. However, we picked Labu because we wanted to be closer to KLIA. We wanted to see it as one airport and KLIA East@Labu is just a terminal extension," he added.

The official also said the number of passenger arrivals at KLIA satellite and main terminal buildings is expected to reach 25 million and 30 million at the LCCT by 2014.

"Combined, we will be able to rival Bangkok's estimated 57 million passengers and Singapore's 50 million (regardless of the new LCCT's location)," he added.

so the total passenger wil be 55 mil????:nuts:
1.thailand 57mil
2.malaysia 55 mil
3.singapore 50mil...
:lol::lol::banana::banana::cheers:can be trusted or not??

^^ it's a sales pitch by airasia. Btw take LA as example. There's lax as the main airport but in almost every city in surrounding area there's a muni airport like long beach, Ontario, pasadena etc. And one major airline doesn't just serve a single airport ; they serve multiple in the vicinity.

Building airport in labu has it pros in terms attracting market in n9 and Melaka and northern Johor. But it doesn't hurt by building a proper airport at klia. Maybe labu can start by just building a runway and factory box and when things get popular then build a proper looking airport...

just an estimation, i think that cannot achieve the target 55mil, coz the authority don have brain cannot do something useful to increase and attract passengers from other countries :bash: :ohno:

Honestly, I'm only interested to know figures for KLIA Main Terminal and not combined with LCCT.

Two European airlines flying into KLIA only? Btw it's ridiculous comparing the distance between London's airports and ours coz first of all London is supercrowded lah. We dont need to split airports unless until we are London of Asia.

Most times our article very syok sendiri.

A closer look at the proposed KLIA East@Labu
COMMENT
By WONG CHUN WAI


THERE are some reservations over the proposed new terminal at KLIA East@Labu.

After all, there is already the KLIA and the LCCT.

But let’s look at the bigger picture.

The new terminal will allow AirAsia and AirAsia X to grow and strengthen Malaysia’s position as a global air transport hub.

It’s actually going to be an exciting project.

Let’s look at it with the full statistics.

Latest figures show that in 2008, KLIA attracted 27.4 million travellers, far lower than the 37.8 million at Changi Airport and the 41.7 million at Bangkok International Airport.

http://biz.thestar.com.my/archives/2009/1/2/business/b_pg03lcct.jpg
The present LCCT is overcrowded and was never intended to be a permanent terminal.

But with a strong terminal, Malaysia will unseat Singapore by 2013 with 55 million air travellers compared with slightly over 51 million in Singapore.

Thailand will still hold the top position with an estimated 57 million travellers going through Bangkok.

This scenario will only happen if a new low cost terminal is built.

The present LCCT is overcrowded and was never intended to be a permanent terminal.

Repeat – a temporary structure.

It was built as a cargo terminal.

Even recent plans to expand the LCCT to accommodate 15 million passengers a year will not help AirAsia much.

Indeed, its expansion will not be able to sustain AirAsia’s passenger volume within a year.

The airline’s growth estimates show that AirAsia will carry 12.3 million passengers in 2009; 15.7 million in 2010; 19.4 million in 2011 and 30 million by 2013.

The current LCCT also has a severe shortage of aircraft parking bays and this could impede the growth of AirAsia.

There are 33 bays for A320s and three bays for A330/A340.

By next year, there will be a shortfall of six bays for the airline that has ordered a fleet of new aircraft.

By 2010, the shortfall will grow to 16 bays.

Malaysia Airports Bhd has said that it will be able to build a new LCCT by 2014.

By this time, the shortfall of parking bays will be 41 and there will be a 12 million shortfall at the present LCCT.

Little wonder then that the Cabinet, Finance Ministry and Economic Planning Unit officials endorsed the plan to build KLIA East@Labu last week.

The reality is that the current LCCT has outlived its usefulness and with the Government facing the reality of a worldwide economic slowdown, funds are tight to build a new facility.

The plan put forward by Sime Darby Bhd and AirAsia involves private sector financing.

Sime Darby will set aside a sliver of the huge tract of plantation land it owns in Labu and its property arm will build KLIA East@Labu by 2011 at a cost of RM1.6bil, minus land cost.

The multinational will then sell the terminal to either AirAsia or a consortium led by AirAsia.

It’s not difficult to understand why Sime Darby is involved in the venture.

It wants the terminal and its ancillary facilities to become a catalyst for its Vision Valley development.

This Vision Valley master plan of housing, recreational, wellness and health facilities is aimed at meeting the needs of the Klang Valley population which is set to grow to 10 million by 2025.

Two of the main supporters of the KLIA East@Labu have been the Negri Sembilan and Malacca state governments.

Both these states know that they will benefit from the economic activity generated by the terminal while Malacca is likely to get a stronger inflow of tourists.

Sources said several other sites for the new LCCT at the present KLIA site were proposed but were found to be unsuitable.

The site at KLIA North was not suitable because the height of the ERL track makes it impossible to develop it there while the swamp soil condition at KLIA West is too costly and time consuming to develop.

How will KLIA and KLIA East@Labu be connected?

·A 7km branch road will be built to link KLIA East@Labu to KLIA and the North South Expressway.

·A 7km ERL link is proposed from KLIA to KLIA East.

·A bus hub will be built at KLIA East

·A 3km KTM Komuter railway line is being proposed from the railway station in Labu.

All the costs for building the airport, road and rail links will be privately financed.

Where is KLIA East@Labu?

About 8.6km from the KLIA main terminal building.

By road, the distance from KL’s Golden Triangle to KLIA East is 50km, compared with a distance of 78km to KLIA.

With the new terminal, flying low cost carriers will never be the same again. It can only get much better.

i wonder...seriously wonder why MAHB din say anything to back their position....yes, all of them (MAHB team) are makan gaji (AirAsia exist or not, their salary remain the same). but at least you have responsibility to retain KLIA status as aviation hub...

mentaliti orang makan gaji (MAHB) dgn businessman (Tony)....huh, pening..pening..pening ke hah?:lol:dah makan ubat ke belum?:lol:

slalu pi seremban dari KLIA ikut jalan dalam lalu area LABU.. sebenarnya x de la rasa jauh sgt. actually bukan kerajaan BN N9 je sokong projek nie..

http://lokesiewfook.blogspot.com/2008/12/klia-eastlabu.html

MP DAP nie pun sokong pe. :cheers:

slalu pi seremban dari KLIA ikut jalan dalam lalu area LABU.. sebenarnya x de la rasa jauh sgt. actually bukan kerajaan BN N9 je sokong projek nie..

http://lokesiewfook.blogspot.com/2008/12/klia-eastlabu.html

MP DAP nie pun sokong pe. :cheers:

ooo..ye ke???:lol:
area labu tu banyak labu ke???:lol::nuts:

i think the reason why they relocate the lcct to labu is because they dun wan to disturb the original masterplan by Kurokawa. I think they still want to follow the masterplan which i thought very elegant, but it will not be completed for a few more decades unless the passenger growth increases. KLIA is regarded by many as one of the most far-sighted airport projects in the world. Look at its masterplan together with the MSC (Eco Media City) which connects KL to KLIA.

Maybe the completion of the Labu lcct which is located quite near to KLIA will create demand for the KLIA and make the masterplan possible. As long as there is ERL connecting both terminal, then i m happy with this plan.

Hopefully in the future, we can see 2 mtb and 4 satellites in KLIA as conceived by Kurokawa, then together with the megastructure of LCCT at Labu. :banana:

A closer look at the proposed KLIA East@Labu
COMMENT
By WONG CHUN WAI


THERE are some reservations over the proposed new terminal at KLIA East@Labu.

After all, there is already the KLIA and the LCCT.

But let’s look at the bigger picture.

The new terminal will allow AirAsia and AirAsia X to grow and strengthen Malaysia’s position as a global air transport hub.

It’s actually going to be an exciting project.

Let’s look at it with the full statistics.

Latest figures show that in 2008, KLIA attracted 27.4 million travellers, far lower than the 37.8 million at Changi Airport and the 41.7 million at Bangkok International Airport.

http://biz.thestar.com.my/archives/2009/1/2/business/b_pg03lcct.jpg
The present LCCT is overcrowded and was never intended to be a permanent terminal.

But with a strong terminal, Malaysia will unseat Singapore by 2013 with 55 million air travellers compared with slightly over 51 million in Singapore.

Thailand will still hold the top position with an estimated 57 million travellers going through Bangkok.

This scenario will only happen if a new low cost terminal is built.

The present LCCT is overcrowded and was never intended to be a permanent terminal.

Repeat – a temporary structure.

It was built as a cargo terminal.

Even recent plans to expand the LCCT to accommodate 15 million passengers a year will not help AirAsia much.

Indeed, its expansion will not be able to sustain AirAsia’s passenger volume within a year.

The airline’s growth estimates show that AirAsia will carry 12.3 million passengers in 2009; 15.7 million in 2010; 19.4 million in 2011 and 30 million by 2013.

The current LCCT also has a severe shortage of aircraft parking bays and this could impede the growth of AirAsia.

There are 33 bays for A320s and three bays for A330/A340.

By next year, there will be a shortfall of six bays for the airline that has ordered a fleet of new aircraft.

By 2010, the shortfall will grow to 16 bays.

Malaysia Airports Bhd has said that it will be able to build a new LCCT by 2014.

By this time, the shortfall of parking bays will be 41 and there will be a 12 million shortfall at the present LCCT.

Little wonder then that the Cabinet, Finance Ministry and Economic Planning Unit officials endorsed the plan to build KLIA East@Labu last week.

The reality is that the current LCCT has outlived its usefulness and with the Government facing the reality of a worldwide economic slowdown, funds are tight to build a new facility.

The plan put forward by Sime Darby Bhd and AirAsia involves private sector financing.

Sime Darby will set aside a sliver of the huge tract of plantation land it owns in Labu and its property arm will build KLIA East@Labu by 2011 at a cost of RM1.6bil, minus land cost.

The multinational will then sell the terminal to either AirAsia or a consortium led by AirAsia.

It’s not difficult to understand why Sime Darby is involved in the venture.

It wants the terminal and its ancillary facilities to become a catalyst for its Vision Valley development.

This Vision Valley master plan of housing, recreational, wellness and health facilities is aimed at meeting the needs of the Klang Valley population which is set to grow to 10 million by 2025.

Two of the main supporters of the KLIA East@Labu have been the Negri Sembilan and Malacca state governments.

Both these states know that they will benefit from the economic activity generated by the terminal while Malacca is likely to get a stronger inflow of tourists.

Sources said several other sites for the new LCCT at the present KLIA site were proposed but were found to be unsuitable.

The site at KLIA North was not suitable because the height of the ERL track makes it impossible to develop it there while the swamp soil condition at KLIA West is too costly and time consuming to develop.

How will KLIA and KLIA East@Labu be connected?

·A 7km branch road will be built to link KLIA East@Labu to KLIA and the North South Expressway.

·A 7km ERL link is proposed from KLIA to KLIA East.

·A bus hub will be built at KLIA East

·A 3km KTM Komuter railway line is being proposed from the railway station in Labu.

All the costs for building the airport, road and rail links will be privately financed.

Where is KLIA East@Labu?

About 8.6km from the KLIA main terminal building.

By road, the distance from KL’s Golden Triangle to KLIA East is 50km, compared with a distance of 78km to KLIA.

With the new terminal, flying low cost carriers will never be the same again. It can only get much better.

The KLIA original masterplan is 10km by 10km. So if a 7km erl is to be built to connect for terminals, assuming the MTB as the center of the masterplan, then Labu LCCT is located just 2km outside the KLIA masterplan.

I think this is the site :)

http://img128.imageshack.us/img128/2730/klialt4.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

ooo..ye ke???:lol:
area labu tu banyak labu ke???:lol::nuts:
bukan banyak labu je.berlambak labu kat sana.berjuta-juta pulak tu. :lol:
:lol:

bukan banyak labu je.berlambak labu kat sana.berjuta-juta pulak tu. :lol:
:lol:

hahahahahahha.....:lol::lol::lol:
kesian la plak kat labu2 tu kalo jadi wat KLIA east@labu ni...:drunk::laugh::laugh::rofl:

I think this is the site :)

http://img128.imageshack.us/img128/2730/klialt4.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

if the site is true, they better off expand the current klia according to the materplan than building a new airport. when they say labu, i was thinking near the seremban city center....

anyway, bandar enstek said to be home for numbers of college. and plus this new airport, property development will be the best bet for investment...

start digging guys!

Questions over proposed Labu LCCT
http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/index.php/malaysia/15097-questions-over-proposed-labu-lcct

JAN 2 — When all the dust surrounding the proposed new low-cost terminal in Labu has settled down, some questions are going to be asked of the long-term planning in Malaysia.

Question No. 1: Does anyone in government do any strategic thinking?

Question No. 2: Is there a master plan to turn Malaysia into an aviation hub like Singapore and Bangkok?

Question No. 3: What has prompted a public-listed budget carrier to decide to operate from a new terminal when it would have been easier to stay at Kuala Lumpur International Airport?

The Malaysian Insider understands that several ministers and senior government officials were stumped recently when they were told that there were no viable sites within KLIA to develop a new low-cost carrier terminal.

Under the 1992 KLIA Master Plan, a piece of land near the existing LCCT was identified as a possible site of the new LCCT. But there is one major obstacle here: the ERL tracks. This site cannot be accessed by aircraft because the tracks were allowed to be built some five metres too high. :lol:

As a result, the ministers were told that it is not possible for aircraft to move between this proposed new site and the runway.

A second site proposed by Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad was vetoed because it is located in an area which the 1992 Master Plan said should not be used for building construction because of the soil condition. :lol: Independent soil experts confirmed that it was not wise to build on that site.

So the Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Minister, Transport Minister and officials from the Finance Ministry and Economic Planning Unit were told by AirAsia officials that an alternative site for a new LCCT to cater to the growth in passenger traffic had to be found. The question that must have run through their minds was this: Didn't anyone do any homework and plan the construction of KLIA better?

Surely the government must have anticipated growth in air traffic and sketched the possibility that KLIA would be a roaring success and would need to be expanded. Or were they hoping to handle the issue only when it landed on their lap?

The simple fact is that there has been little or no planning to turn Malaysia into an aviation hub. How else to explain why many major airlines continue to give KLIA a miss, preferring to base their operations in Changi or Bangkok.

How else to explain why there has been no sustained campaign by the government or MAHB to snare/tempt some major airlines away from Bangkok at a time when sustained political crisis is scaring tourists and investors away from Thailand.

The proposal by Sime Darby Berhad and AirAsia to build a new terminal at Labu, some 8km away from KLIA, is a reflection of the failure of the authorities to plan, and plan well. It is not surprising that the Cabinet endorsed the plan for to build a new terminal to cater to AirAsia and AirAsia X operations.

The government and MAHB did not seem to have an alternative game plan.

^^ the article above seems to negate the fact that KLIA was build with a master plan which consists of 5 runaways (currently 2), 2 MTB (currently 1) and 4 satalite terminals (currently 1). granted LCCT was not not in the drawing board as airasia was not concieved yet, but adjustment to the master plan has been made.

as for the erl issue, take look as sg besi airport, the elevated tracks are built in front of the runaway, takde issue pun. it'snot like they can't mode the runaway couple of meters away from the track.

as for the soil conditions, there are airports in the world (singapore included) which are built on reclaimed land or better yet, that which was sea. proper building techniques should negate this problem.

Is there really a need for another LCCT?
Kuek Teik Soon | Dec 31, 08 3:34pm

The recently approved proposal of building a new LCCT airport at Labu (KLIA East @ Labu) raises a lot of questions among the rakyat of Malaysia.

No doubt we do really need a bigger LCCT to accommodate the increasing demands of budget travellers in the region as well as globally. However, the strategy of having a separate terminal away from the existing KLIA terminal may not be a good move.

The primary reason that almost everyone knows is that it will defeat the vision of developing the existing KLIA as a regional hub to compete with other airports in the region.

The following are a few points that I would like to share:

1 Inconvenience for travellers in terms of flight connectivity. Having travellers take a shuttle bus or the ERL from one terminal to another is definitely not preferred, especially for disabled persons.

2 The current KLIA main terminal is still under-utilised. It is currently capable of handling a maximum of 40 million passenger per year (the airport’s Phase 2 development plan is to gear the airport to handle 40 million passengers per year by 2008 with the expansion of the low-cost carrier terminal).

Last year, the airport handled 26,938,970 passengers. Under the original master plan, for phase 3, the airport will expanded to handle 75 million passengers per annum with the construction of a new satellite terminal and new low cost carrier terminal that will be capable of handling 30 million passengers alone.

For Phase 4, the airport will be capable of handling 130 million passengers per annum by 2020.

We should explore the possibility of using the existing empty land reserved for the next satellite terminal for the LCCs.

3 Re-assess the need to have different charges for full-service carriers and LCCs. Why do we have to follow the trend of others if we can set our own? We can have an ‘All-In One’ model if we can have a good business plan.

If we can centralise everything in one main terminal with efficiency in mind, I don’t think we need to have different charges for full-service airlines and LCCs.

Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad can definitely offer a lower rate to everyone when we have the volume and more airlines choose to land at KLIA. MAHB can even look at categorising the charges based on the services provided to both full-service carriers and LCCs.

4 Analyse the return-of-investment (ROI) for having a separate new airport terminal vs expanding the existing one. Which one has a better ROI?

I sure hope the government and related business units will seriously re-assess the KLIA East @ Labu proposal with diligent and proper planning.

bangkok's suvarnabumi too was built on a swamp (if im not mistaken).

---------------------------------------
here is what i can conclude from this game..:lol:

Tony Fernandez: 'Our Company is expanding super fast, and we need a permanent airport to cater the future passenger. and the construction should be super fast too! i don't care how it looks'

Sime Darby: 'we need an airport to be developed near (very close if possible) to our Bandar Enstek. we think we have enough money to build by our own'

NS Menteri Besar: 'Labu is the best bet bcoz it will boost the economy of Negeri Sembilan'

Melaka Menteri Besar: 'Labu is closer to melaka and i believe Melaka tourism industry can get benefit from that'

Selangor Menteri Besar: '.........(bisu - still fighting with his state PKR deputy liason)'

MoT (Ong Tee Keat): 'Labu looks ok for me. how much you guys wanna pay me for the approval?'

MAHB: '........no idea. Airasia and Sime Darby said KLIA site is not suitable, then ok lah. go ahead with your plan. i'm just an employee'

Pak Lah: '...........zzZzZzZ'

seems that OTK is quite corrupt.........

bangkok's suvarnabumi too was built on a swamp (if im not mistaken).

---------------------------------------
here is what i can conclude from this game..:lol:

Tony Fernandez: 'Our Company is expanding super fast, and we need a permanent airport to cater the future passenger. and the construction should be super fast too! i don't care how it looks'

Sime Darby: 'we need an airport to be developed near (very close if possible) to our Bandar Enstek. we think we have enough money to build by our own'

NS Menteri Besar: 'Labu is the best bet bcoz it will boost the economy of Negeri Sembilan'

Melaka Menteri Besar: 'Labu is closer to melaka and i believe Melaka tourism industry can get benefit from that'

Selangor Menteri Besar: '.........(bisu - still fighting with his state PKR deputy liason)'

MoT (Ong Tee Keat): 'Labu looks ok for me. how much you guys wanna pay me for the approval?'

MAHB: '........no idea. Airasia and Sime Darby said KLIA site is not suitable, then ok lah. go ahead with your plan. i'm just an employee'

Pak Lah: '...........zzZzZzZ'hahaha pak lah juzt sleep only.mcm ahli politik lah ko nih.:lol::lol:

x habis-habis corruption sana sini.bila lah nak bersihkan corruption nih hah!?:lol::nuts:

^^actually not fair if we accuse people doing corruption (i want to apologize too..). but as far as what i've heard, seen, and experienced..., most people would pay for their project/plan/proposal to be approved by anybody who own the authority. not as 'curruption' but more as a 'token of appreciation'

..and not only happen in Malaysia for sure.

this is real...

oh thank god thank god.....finally MAHB has spoke..not sure is that too late or not...

------------------------------------------
MAHB: Permanent LCCT Should Be At KLIA

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 5 (Bernama) -- Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB) has implied that it is more logical for the Low Cost Carrier Terminal (LCCT) to be at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA).

In a statement Monday, the airport operator said it was now in a position to undertake the project with its own funds, thanks to the government's approved restructuring plan.

The National Airport Master Plan study, after considering several locations, has identified a site for the permanent LCCT at KLIA, MAHB said.

"The new LCCT location was selected as it would provide excellent connectivity for both landside and airside transfers for passengers as well as baggage," it said.

The study, which was recently completed, took into account the development of low fare travel in Malaysia, it added.

With the support of the Transport Ministry and Finance Ministry, MAHB initiated the development of the study in July 2007.

"This study is to set the direction for the future development of airports and aviation infrastructure in the country," it said.

MAHB said that besides its involvement, the formulation of the National Airport Master Plan involved all relevant government agencies, Malaysia Airlines, AirAsia as well as representatives of foreign airlines.

"This master plan can be used as a basis for the orderly construction and development of all airports, including permanent LCCTs in Malaysia," it said.

Based on the study, the existing Express Rail Link (ERL) will be extended for an additional 1.5 kilometres to connect the new LCCT to the existing Main Terminal.

The LCCT will be built via a multi-modular design, with each module being able to handle 15 million passengers, MAHB said.

The first phase of the permanent LCCT's development will encompass two modules and a parking apron capable of accommodating at least 60 aircraft of various sizes and configurations, it said.

According to MAHB, the design of the airport terminal will focus on passenger comfort as well as operational efficiency for the low-cost carriers.

"The new terminal will be seamlessly integrated into KLIA's current infrastructure via ERL immediately and via AeroTrain when the second satellite building is constructed," it said.

MAHB said pending government's approval, the first phase of this project could be ready by the end of 2011 and could be built at reasonable cost due to the availability of existing infrastructure.

"When the need arises, in line with KLIA's master plan, a third runway can be built parallel to the second runway as aircraft movements and passenger traffic increases," it said.

"This would offer efficient and quick turnaround for low-cost carriers as there would then be two runways that would be of equal distance from the new permanent LCCT and its parking apron," it added.

On undertaking the project with its own funds, MAHB said self-funding from its own cash reserves was not new to the company.

"Over the last 15 years, MAHB has spent over RM1 billion from its own cash reserves for the building and upgrading of airports such as KLIA for A380 readiness, development of apron and a cargo complex in Penang, and the development of new terminal buildings in Alor Star, Langkawi and Kota Baharu just to name a few," it said.

MAHB said as had been done in the past, it continued to cross-subsidise several loss-making domestic airports and rural services airports.

"This proposal for the new LCCT to be completed in three years' time will provide excellent connectivity with construction at reasonable cost and can be self-funded by MAHB," it said.

-- BERNAMA

janganla rampas penumpang KLIA , tolonglah pakcik2 oi

Sime Darby gets govt nod for Labu LCCT plan
TheStar Latest News
5 Jan 2009

KUALA LUMPUR: Sime Darby Bhd has received the government’s approval to proceed with the proposed private low-cost carrier terminal (LCCT) project in Labu, Negri Sembilan.

Sime Darby said in a statement to Bursa Malaysia on Monday the project was an integral part of its development plan for its Negeri Sembilan Vision City (NSVC).

NSVC is part of its Central Vision Valley (CVV) property development project spanning Selangor and Negeri Sembilan.

Sime Darby and budget airline AirAsia Bhd had proposed to jointly develop and operate the RM1.6bil LCCT to be known as KLIA-East@Labu.

The project, estimated to cost about RM1.6bil, would be privately funded.The RM1.6bil was an estimate of the cost of structures and the runway but did not include the 3,000-acre land where it would be built.

MAHB vs Sime Darby-AAsia, what say you OTK?

written by Olek Skilgannon, January 05, 2009 MInsider

Something stinks to high heaven here.

Malaysia Airports have put forward a reasonable plan for the proposed new LCCT as an integral part of KLIA.

Why are Sime Darby and AirAsia in such an unholy rush to construct an entirely new LCCT at Labu?

I am sceptical of the claim that public funds will not be used in the Sime/AirAsia proposal. Maybe so in the construction costs, but how about the cost of providing CIQ facilities and security facilities and the manpower required to run them. Unless Sime/AirAsia are proposing to use their own customs, immigration and police personnel to work in the proposed LCCT at Labu?

What does the government's national aviation policy (note to Ong T K: does the federal govt have such a policy?) with regard to developing KLIA as a premier regional air hub that compete on an equal footing with the likes of Changi Airport, Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport and Hong Kong's Chek Lap Kok Airport?

It's time that AirAsia came clean on what it's agenda is with regard to the development of KLIA.


written by YB Wee Choo Keong

To date the LCCT had cost the rakyat more than RM200 million (RM90 million plus RM123.9 ,million).

In the light of the Government having already built LCCT/LCCT Extension for AirAsia, now suddenly the Malaysia government has approved plans by budget carrier AirAsia and conglomerate Sime Darby to build a new low cost terminal within reach of the capital, according to media reports. The new terminal, to be called “KLIA East @ Labu”, will be built on a 2,800 hectare site (6,919 acres) in the central state of Negri Sembilan under a private finance initiative, costing RM1.6 billion (US$461 million), the New Straits Times reported.

Food for thoughts:

AirAsia had announced that it had placed an order for 150 Airbuses and it had to take delivery of one Airbus per month. After taking delivery of 150 Airbuses, I am sure that AirAsia will certainly go places!

Recently AirAsia had also announced that it intended to go on a privatization exercise but the plan was shelved because AirAsia could not get a financier. Then it suddenly announced that it had suffered about RM460 million losses.

On 21 December 2008, it was announced that the Badawi’s government had approved a new LCCT costing RM1.6 billion to be built in Negeri Sembilan. As long as no rakyat’s money will be used to build this new LCCT I don’t really care. Provided that AirAsia/Sime Darby will also pay for the land cost to build the new LCCT!

Of late, I do not understand why EPF is investing very heavily in AirAsia’s shares when AirAsia’s foreign shareholders have disposed their stakes. Perhaps Tan Sri Nor Yakop (Deputy Minister of Finance II) can shed some light in this matter!!!

Well, whatever happens, there must be NO BAIL OUT for any private company whether it is AirAsia or any other

Alamak.................chaos in planning!

I am curious about the air traffic control in both airports........how do they manage it?

^^ they usually have a centralized air traffic control for a specific region. the control tower you see at the airport only cover ground traffic (from taxiway to take-off and vice versa) of said airport.

klang valley have 3 airports (sg. besi, subang and klia) and i'm sure it's centralized.

MAHB vs Sime Darby-AAsia, what say you OTK?

sape bagi angpow besar pasti menang :lol:

Sime Darby gets go-ahead on LCCT Labu
by Yantoultra Ngui Yichen
Email us your feedback at fd@bizedge.com


KUALA LUMPUR: Sime Darby Bhd has obtained the government’s approval to proceed with its proposed low-cost carrier terminal (LCCT) in Labu, Negri Sembilan — a venture in collaboration AirAsia Bhd.

Sime Darby told Bursa Malaysia yesterday that the RM1.6 billion LCCT project was an integral part of the development plan for its Negri Sembilan Vision City (NSVC).

The company added that NSVC was part of its Central Vision Valley (CVV) property development project spanning parts of Selangor and Negeri Sembilan.

The Edge weekly had on Dec 22, 2008, reported that the government had approved the construction of the LCCT, which Sime Darby and AirAsia jointly proposed to develop on a 2,800ha site owned by Sime Darby in Labu.

The report said Sime Darby, which will build the airport, was expected to take up a majority stake in the joint venture and AirAsia would operate the airport.

It also said the proposed LCCT had attracted various parties to set up operations there, including Tune Hotel, a bus terminal, retail malls and factories, and that plans for a railway station connecting passengers from Labu to KL Sentral were being worked out.

In another report on Dec 24, 2008, it was said that the airport could be completed for operations by March 2011. It is designed to handle 30 million passengers per annum and would have about 70 parking bays for aircraft.

AirAsia group was projected to handle 60 million passengers per annum by 2013, according to the report, quoting the carrier’s official.

It also said AirAsia took up Sime Darby’s proposal to construct a private LCCT in Labu as it could not wait for Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB) to finalise plans for the setting up of a bigger LCCT to replace the existing one at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA).

It also said MAHB’s plan for the permanent LCCT had yet to be finalised and if the carrier were to follow the airport operator’s schedule, it could potentially face a shortfall of at least 41 parking bays for its aircraft.

An AirAsia official was quoted as saying that the earliest possible date for the permanent LCCT to be realised was estimated by MAHB to be in 2014, by which time there would be a 12-million passenger capacity shortfall at the present terminal.

In a separate announcement to Bursa Malaysia yesterday, MAHB inferred that it was more viable and reasonable to have the new LCCT at KLIA.

It said the identification of a location of the new permanent LCCT at KLIA was the result of the National Airport Master Plan Study initiated in July 2007 by MAHB with the support of Ministry of Transport and Ministry of Finance.

MAHB said the new LCCT at KLIA, which will be completed in three years’ time, would provide excellent connectivity with construction at reasonable cost and can be self funded by MAHB.

“Thanks to the government’s approved restructuring plan, MAHB is now in a position to partake the project with its own funds,” it said.

MAHB said the new terminal would be integrated into KLIA’s current infrastructure via Express Rail Link (ERL) immediately and via AeroTrain when the second satellite buildings was constructed.

“Pending government’s approval, the first phase of this project could be ready by the end of 2011 and could be built at reasonable cost due to the availability of existing infrastructure,” it said.

Shares in Sime Darby closed 30 sen or 5.56% higher at RM5.70 yesterday with a total of 15.3 million shares changing hands. The counter reached its 52-week high of RM13.21 on Jan 14, 2008 while its low was RM4.94 on Dec 2, 2008.

AirAsia closed 2.5 sen or 2.84% higher at 90.5 sen yesterday with a total of 5.9 million shares transacted. The counter reached its 52-week high of RM1.65 on Feb 4, 2008 while its low was 76.5 sen on June 25, 2008.

MAHB closed seven sen or 3.1% higher at RM2.33 yesterday with 91,500 shares transacted. The counter reached its 52-week high of RM3.24 on Feb 5, 2008 while its low was RM1.95 on Nov 24, 2008

bangkok's suvarnabumi too was built on a swamp (if im not mistaken).

---------------------------------------
here is what i can conclude from this game..:lol:

Tony Fernandez: 'Our Company is expanding super fast, and we need a permanent airport to cater the future passenger. and the construction should be super fast too! i don't care how it looks'

Sime Darby: 'we need an airport to be developed near (very close if possible) to our Bandar Enstek. we think we have enough money to build by our own'

NS Menteri Besar: 'Labu is the best bet bcoz it will boost the economy of Negeri Sembilan'

Melaka Menteri Besar: 'Labu is closer to melaka and i believe Melaka tourism industry can get benefit from that'

Selangor Menteri Besar: '.........(bisu - still fighting with his state PKR deputy liason)'

MoT (Ong Tee Keat): 'Labu looks ok for me. how much you guys wanna pay me for the approval?'

MAHB: '........no idea. Airasia and Sime Darby said KLIA site is not suitable, then ok lah. go ahead with your plan. i'm just an employee'

Pak Lah: '...........zzZzZzZ'

updated:

MAHB: 'LCCT in Labu? WTF? I thot i already paid that f*ck*r already...'

but seriously, they should move it closer to downtown seremban if they want a real municipal airport. but oh wait, sime darby property is not there.... but isn't entasek is like next door to KLIA anyways?

Print version

Go-ahead for Sime Darby and MAHB terminals
By LOONG TSE MIN
TheStar January 6, 2009

PETALING JAYA: Even as Sime Darby Bhd announced it has received government approval to proceed with the proposed private low-cost carrier terminal (LCCT) project in Labu, Negri Sembilan, Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB) gave details of its plans to develop a new LCCT at the KL International Airport (KLIA).

MAHB managing director Datuk Seri Bashir Ahmad, when contacted by StarBiz, said: “We still need to provide an LCCT at KLIA for airlines other than AirAsia that will fly into Kuala Lumpur.

“As a GLC (government-linked company), we will talk to the Government on our plans for the future with regards to the LCCT.” On the existing LCCT, Bashir said: “This was always meant to be temporary, we will convert it into a warehouse.”

On whether MAHB’s LCCT project would be scaled down as AirAsia would now use the terminal in Labu, he said: “We will have to see about this when we discuss with the Government.”

Sime Darby is also a GLC with its major shareholders (as at Sept 12, 2008) Skim Amanah Saham Bumiputera holding a 34% stake, and the Employees Provident Fund, Permodalan Nasional Bhd and Yayasan Pelaburan Bumiputera each owning about 14% in the plantation giant.

Sime Darby in a statement to Bursa Malaysia yesterday, said the LCCT project was an integral part of its development plan for its Negri Sembilan Vision City (NSVC).




Full online version

By LOONG TSE MIN
tsemin@thestar.com.my

PETALING JAYA: Even as Sime Darby Bhd announced it has received government approval to proceed with the proposed private low-cost carrier terminal (LCCT) project in Labu, Negri Sembilan, Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB) gave some details of its plans to develop a new LCCT at the KL International Airport (KLIA).

MAHB managing director Datuk Seri Bashir Ahmad told StarBiz: “We still need to provide an LCCT at KLIA for airlines other than AirAsia that will fly into Kuala Lumpur.

“As a GLC (government-linked company), we will talk to the government on our plans for the future, with regards to the LCCT.”

MAHB said it has identified a location of for the permanent LCCT at KLIA.

“The new LCCT location (near KLIA) was selected as it would provide excellent connectivity for both landside and airside transfers for passengers as well as baggage,” it said in a statement yesterday.

As for the existing LCCT, Bashir said: “This was always ment to be temporary, we will convert it into a warehouse.”

On whether MAHB’s LCCT project at KLIA would be scaled down as AirAsia would now use the terminal to be built in Labu, Bashir said: “We will have to see about this when we discuss (this) with the government.”

Sime Darby is also a GLC with its major shareholders being Skim Amanah Saham Bumiputera with a 34% stake while the Employees Provident Fund, Permodalan Nasional Bhd and Yayasan Pelaburan Bumiputera has about 14% each, as at Sept 12 last year.

Sime Darby in a statement to Bursa Malaysia yesterday said its LCCT project was an integral part of its Negri Sembilan Vision City (NSVC) project.

NSVC is part of its Central Vision Valley (CVV) property development project spanning Selangor and Negri Sembilan.

Sime Darby and budget airline AirAsia Bhd had proposed to jointly develop and operate the privately funded RM1.6bil LCCT to be known as KLIA-East@Labu.

Meanwhile, MAHB in its statement yesterday said the terminal congestion at the existing LCCT would ease with the recent opening of the newly expanded international arrival hall and the soon to be completed international departure hall and public concourse.

“To further alleviate the congestion, MAHB has appealed to AirAsia to open up more check-in counters per flight as there are many available at the LCCT.

“MAHB has also urged AirAsia to provide additional ground handling staff for arrival baggage as there are now six carousels at the arrival hall instead of two previously,” the statement said.

MAHB, noting AirAsia’s request for a reduction in aeronautical charges, clarified that the charges were approved by the Government and that this was a matter for the government authorities to decide.

“Any increases or decreases in these charges are within the purview of the Government authorities and MAHB fully respects this.

“It needs to be emphasised that the landing and parking charges in Malaysia have not been increased for the last 27 years.

“Therefore, the issue of high aeronautical charges does not arise,” it said.

^^^ why don't MAHB invite sime darby to built the lcct in KLIA, MAHB will manages and AirAsia will use it....then everybody will be happy

^^ that's would work in an ideal world but...

Air Asia always wanted it's OWN AIRPORT cause it doesn't want to pay any landing fees/ airport fees to anybody. They don't care if the place look like somalia or rawanda as long people get on thier planes and get the hell out from their airport ASAP. Please show me which airline in the world have it's own airport to himself...

Sime Darby wants to develop it's real estate business although at the cost of cutting down on KLIA (hey, it's free market baby)

MAHB got it's nice masterplan and i don't think they want anybody screw it around just like that. especially if the one who does the screwing around is airasia. Everybody somehow forgets that LCCT was built at AirAsia's insistence, i mean request.

my personal opinion: i like the main KLIA better and don't mind paying a little extra airport tax for a better environment. having been to Changi, LAX, paris, SFO, LIH, HNL, ORD, Atlanta, JFK, Newark, London Heathrow, Dubai, Amsterdam, Hong Kong, Taipei, Kansai, Beijing (the old one), Kunming, Mauritius, BGK airports, i appreciate the level of service that the main KLIA gives.

Ding dong ding dong at the end of the day it would probably just be a stupid terminal building!!!Pax check in then bus them to LCCT!

^^^ why don't MAHB invite sime darby to built the lcct in KLIA, MAHB will manages and AirAsia will use it....then everybody will be happy

aiyo can u read?? they want 2 built it there coz of the mega project by sime darby & bandar enstek la...dis stupid developer x betullah....selfish!!

Ding dong ding dong at the end of the day it would probably just be a stupid terminal building!!!Pax check in then bus them to LCCT!

airport ni surely got big future punya since dis 1 under Airasia...AirAsia got big market..nak taknak we surely akan keLabu punya...now wat wil hapn 2 the current LCCT ??

KTMB express for new Labu airport
By : Eileen Ng

http://www.nst.com.my/Tuesday/National/2444886/insidepix1
(From left) Datuk Seri Tony Fernandes says the project will boost tourism and connectivity; and Abdul Radzak Abd Malek says the collaboration is a win-win partnership


KUALA LUMPUR: Talks are under way to start a new KTMB express service, linking KL Sentral to the new low-cost carrier terminal in Labu.

Modelled after London's Heathrow express, the new service will ferry passengers to the new KLIA East@Labu, to be built by 2011, to cater to AirAsia's massive expansion,

The New Straits Times learnt that officials from AirAsia met KTM Bhd's top guns last week to discuss starting a new express service.

This service will be provided along KTMB's north-south passenger backbone, which will allow passengers from the Klang Valley and other parts of Peninsular Malaysia served by the KTMB rail link, to fully utilise the new LCCT.

KTMB has an existing station in Labu and a new spur line, costing between RM20 and RM30 million, will be built from the station to the new LCCT, located some 3km away.

Both AirAsia chief executive officer Datuk Seri Tony Fernandes and KTMB chief executive officer Abdul Radzak Abd Malek confirmed having discussions on the rail link project.

"KLIA East@Labu will have strong infrastructure links because we believe that low-cost travel does not begin at the airport, but from the moment you step out from your house."

Fernandes said Labu was also chosen as the site to house the new LCC terminal because of its close proximity to KTMB's Labu train station.

It is also large enough to accommodate the airport and future expansion, is close enough to KLIA for a wide range of synergies to be available to passengers and a shorter distance to downtown Kuala Lumpur than the existing LCCT.

"The entire project will boost tourism and connectivity, especially between the neighbouring states of Malacca, Perak and Negri Sembilan."

On the pricing of the tickets, Fernandes said the amount had yet to be worked out, although he was hoping that it would around RM10, which is at par with the price of a bus ticket to the current LCCT.

A one-way ticket on the ERL to KLIA costs RM35.

Radzak said the collaboration was a win-win partnership for both companies.

"We can leverage on AirAsia's passengers to ferry them on our trains to other destinations nationwide, and at the same time, we can transport passengers from as far as Singapore to the new terminal," he said.

Last week, the cabinet approved the plan to build a new LCCT to service AirAsia and under a private financing initiative.

KLIA East@Labu is about 7km from the KLIA main terminal building and will be built by the property arm of Sime Darby Berhad.

The multinational, which counts plantations, property, motors, industrial and utilities and energy as its core business, will act as a property developer in this project, while the region's largest budget carrier will be the client.

Financing will be provided by AirAsia and its partners.

The LCCT is earmarked as a catalyst project for Sime Darby's Vision Valley project.

Last week, Transport Minister Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat said the new terminal was needed as the current temporary facility in Sepang would not be able to cope with the increased passenger volume.

Under its final expansion phase, the Sepang LCCT will have a capacity of 15 million passengers a year, a figure industry sources say is likely to be exceeded by 2011.

AirAsia and AirAsia X are expected to carry 19 million passengers in 2011 and nearly 30 million passengers in 2015.

MAHB: Permanent LCCT Should Be At KLIA


KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 5 (Bernama) -- Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB) has implied that it is more logical for the Low Cost Carrier Terminal (LCCT) to be at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA).

In a statement Monday, the airport operator said it was now in a position to undertake the project with its own funds, thanks to the government's approved restructuring plan.

The National Airport Master Plan study, after considering several locations, has identified a site for the permanent LCCT at KLIA, MAHB said.

"The new LCCT location was selected as it would provide excellent connectivity for both landside and airside transfers for passengers as well as baggage," it said.

The study, which was recently completed, took into account the development of low fare travel in Malaysia, it added.

With the support of the Transport Ministry and Finance Ministry, MAHB initiated the development of the study in July 2007.

"This study is to set the direction for the future development of airports and aviation infrastructure in the country," it said.

MAHB said that besides its involvement, the formulation of the National Airport Master Plan involved all relevant government agencies, Malaysia Airlines, AirAsia as well as representatives of foreign airlines.

"This master plan can be used as a basis for the orderly construction and development of all airports, including permanent LCCTs in Malaysia," it said.

Based on the study, the existing Express Rail Link (ERL) will be extended for an additional 1.5 kilometres to connect the new LCCT to the existing Main Terminal.

The LCCT will be built via a multi-modular design, with each module being able to handle 15 million passengers, MAHB said.

The first phase of the permanent LCCT's development will encompass two modules and a parking apron capable of accommodating at least 60 aircraft of various sizes and configurations, it said.

According to MAHB, the design of the airport terminal will focus on passenger comfort as well as operational efficiency for the low-cost carriers.

"The new terminal will be seamlessly integrated into KLIA's current infrastructure via ERL immediately and via AeroTrain when the second satellite building is constructed," it said.

MAHB said pending government's approval, the first phase of this project could be ready by the end of 2011 and could be built at reasonable cost due to the availability of existing infrastructure.

"When the need arises, in line with KLIA's master plan, a third runway can be built parallel to the second runway as aircraft movements and passenger traffic increases," it said.

"This would offer efficient and quick turnaround for low-cost carriers as there would then be two runways that would be of equal distance from the new permanent LCCT and its parking apron," it added.

On undertaking the project with its own funds, MAHB said self-funding from its own cash reserves was not new to the company.

"Over the last 15 years, MAHB has spent over RM1 billion from its own cash reserves for the building and upgrading of airports such as KLIA for A380 readiness, development of apron and a cargo complex in Penang, and the development of new terminal buildings in Alor Star, Langkawi and Kota Baharu just to name a few," it said.

MAHB said as had been done in the past, it continued to cross-subsidise several loss-making domestic airports and rural services airports.

"This proposal for the new LCCT to be completed in three years' time will provide excellent connectivity with construction at reasonable cost and can be self-funded by MAHB," it said.

-- BERNAMA

Although i like the idea of AirAsia owning its own terminal etc etc, however, i think AirAsia is being selfish in putting their interest first rather than National and Public Interest (especially business travellers).

If I'm MAHB I would sell a plot of land very near Main Terminal (near Satellite2) to AirAsia for them to build and manage their own terminal, while asking AirAsia to use all other existing facilities like runway, apron, hangar and control tower of KLIA perhaps at a fee.

MAHB can link AirAsia's terminal via Aerotrain and invite ERL (YTL) to extend to AirAsia's terminal. Then AirAsia can also attract other regional LCCs to their own terminal.

Other unrelated parties like Sime Darby (well Tony can ask Sime to build world-class terminal for them), Enstek, KTMB please stand aside.

"As long as no rakyat’s money will be used to build this new LCCT I don’t really care" ---> ini statement by a PKR politician really tak boleh pakai. come one...don't you know how money is spinning? that's why i turn away my support from pembangkang. they really have '0' zero idea about money!

hmm, bandar enstek doesn't have any direct involvement with sime darby..it's actually developed by TH Properties..Sime Darby main property project at Labu is Kota Seriemas (Neighbourhood of Bandar Enstek)

However, Bandar Enstek will definitely benefits from the proposed KLIA East in term of appreciation value and infrastructures..As the airport location is very near to the new township.. and the ERL line was already planned in the Bandar Enstek's Masterplan since before the proposed KLIA East (Tabung Haji owned 40% of ERL Shares) It was part of the ERL extension plan to the south..(maybe among the routes is Malacca..)

Sime to gain from massive landbank: OSK
Published: 2009/01/06

SIME Darby Bhd stands to be a prime beneficiary of Peninsular Malaysia’s long-term urbanisation process as evidenced by the plan to build a 1,200-hectare new low-cost carrier terminal (LCCT) for AirAsia at its Labu estate.

According to OSK Research Sdn Bhd, urban development would eventually reach Sime’s 258,000ha of plantatation landbank.

The research house said although urbanisation was a slow process, bringing development to its plantation landbank could be expedited when the opportunity arose.

“It is in the sourcing of the landbank where we think Sime will derive the most synergy from the mega merger,” it said in a research note.

OSK Research said the new airport would immediately boost development potential and hence the value of its plantation land in the surrounding areas.

Sime, which emerged largely from the merger of Sime UEP and Kumpulan Guthrie’s property development arm, is one of the largest property developers in the country with landbank of about 14,800ha, of which 3,480ha are ready for immediate development.

The research house said the streamlining of Sime’s plantation and property sector was expected to derive some RM400-RM500 million in merger benefits in financial year 2009.

“Assuming that Sime achieved these synergistic benefits in financial year 2008, and generated an extra RM500 million in operating profit in the same period, and that these profits were solely attriutable to the plantation division, its profit per mature hectare would rise to RM9,173 from RM8,124,” it said.

On plantations, OSK Research said, there was still room for Sime’s yield to improve, particularly in Indonesia where some 41.6 per cent of the trees were aged between 5-10 years old.

It said on the Malaysian side, the yield would be slower as the trees aged 5-10 years old make up a much smaller proportion of 28 per cent. — Bernama

The new budget air terminal at Labu
Lim Kit Siang

Letters
by J.C.

I read with apprehension at the recent announcements by Sime Darby Berhad and Air Asia with respect to their receiving government approval to build a new low-cost terminal at Labu, Negeri Sembilan. The announcements coincided with a statement by Malaysia Airports Berhad (MAHB) that it is ready to construct a new low-cost terminal to replace the existing LCCT at KLIA. The statements, and the subsequent comments by Air Asia spokespersons, gave the impressions that a new low-cost terminal is urgently needed, that MAHB has not been responsive to the needs of Air Asia, that Air Asia could easily save 15 pct of operating costs by moving to the new terminal at Labu and that not a single sen of public money will be utilised.

The following questions need to be answered by the government:

1. Was the approval given to the Sime Darby-Air Asia consortium based on the construction of a totally new airport, complete with runway(s) ? No one has indicated that there will be new runways, but it would be ridiculous to assume that planes could land on the existing KLIA runways and taxi the 7 km to the new Labu terminal. Sime announced that the new terminal would take up approximately 3000 acres of land, and surely a terminal without runways would not require such a sizeable landmass. If there are going to be runways, who would be paying for the Air Traffic Control (ATC) facilities ? Who would be charging passengers for airport taxes ?

2. Was any cost-benefit comparison made with respect to the construction of a new terminal at KLIA as opposed to a new terminal (or should we say airport) at Labu ?

3. When the government agreed with the sponsors of the new Labu airport that the entire project would be privately funded, did it take into consideration issues like the KTM Komuter link from Labu to KL Sentral ? KTM would be expected to build the link, and this is government money. We all know that rail links are only viable with subsidy from the public sector. Look at ERL. After 10 years of operations, their debt is still guaranteed by the government of Malaysia, and they are still being subsidised annually through a minimum ridership clause in their concession agreement. Would the roads leading to Labu be privately funded or would they have to be built by the Works Ministry ?

4. Who would run the new CIQ at Labu ? Who would have to pay for the CIQ facilities ?

5. MAHB have said that they would want to build their own low-cost carrier terminal to cater for the demands of other low-cost carriers such as JetStar, Valuair and Tiger. This would mean that there could be three competing low-cost terminals in this country - Labu, KLIA-LCCT and Subang. Is this wise ? Have we learnt from the lessons of having 3 separate light rail entities in the Klang Valley ? Has the government considered the term “economies of scale” ?

As a comparison, Hong Kong’s Chep Lap Kok airport currently operates on 2 runways and has a passenger turnover of 35 million a year. Changi’s Terminal 3 for budget air travel is adjacent to the other two older terminals. Both these leading airports impose the same runways, ATC and CIQ facilities on all carriers. Do we know something that they don’t ?

It is important that the government be totally transparent about this decision to proceed with the Labu airport especially as the social costs of having multiple budget terminals for different carriers could haunt us in the long run. Of course there are ancillary issues like the disputed amount of payables from Air Asia to MAHB and how this will be treated in the context of the proposed move from LCCT to Labu, but this is perhaps something for the minority shareholders of MAHB to raise.

[quote=patchay;30326368]The new budget air terminal at Labu

Cant understand TF. If thai airasia can remain in BKK and CGK can be hub for indo airasia, why there is a need for its own terminal in MY.

if tf insist of owning a terminal, why not buy over the land embarked for permanent lcc from MAHB.....just my wild thought:banana:

An LCCT too many
By The Malaysian Insider

JAN 6 - Malaysia must be a poor rich country.

Only in Malaysia can two government-linked entities - Sime Darby Berhad and Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad - propose to build low cost carrier terminals (LCCT) miles apart to tap the fast-growing budget airlines market.

Sime Darby's RM1.6 billion facility, diplomatically called a LCCT despite having its own runway and air traffic control tower, has already been approved and is slated to open in March 2011. Malaysia Airports yesterday said it has a similar plan and could open the first phase with better connectivity and inside the KLIA at the end of 2011, pending government approval.

What it actually means is a transport plan gone awry.

KLIA was meant to be a hub with state-of-the-art facilities way before budget carriers and Tony Fernandes became the byword in air travel that just needed low-cost operations. Hence the temporary LCCT that became too small for a fast expanding Air Asia and sister Air Asia X.

Can Air Asia and Air Asia X wait for Malaysia Airports instead of going to KLIA East@Labu? Apart from the time and space, it's a question of money for the budget carrier.

It can save costs with its own airport but Malaysian taxpayers will have to pick the tab for custom, immigration and quarantine facilities apart from air traffic control and security services there.

Add to that the headache of managing flights in two airports just miles of each other.

But Malaysia Airports and the government have not done any favours to make KLIA a hub or ensure only one airport operator in the country.

The Senai International Airport was sold off in 2003 while Firefly is operating out of Subang Airport which only allows turbo-prop aircraft flights. All other carriers including Air Asia operate jet aircraft.

Coupled with only two European carriers operating out of KLIA, Air Asia has argued that KLIA is not a hub due to the lack of connectivity or airlines operating there apart from the fact its passengers fly point-to-point and don't need interlining facilities.

And if Malaysia Airports is right, Air Asia has quietly used government incentives to grow quickly and now feels it can fly alone without assistance or return the favour to turn KLIA into a major regional hub catering to all kinds of air travel.

With all these recent developments, the KLIA hub plan is only fit for the rubbish bin. The only way for the government to make sense of it or consumers to benefit is to allow more budget carriers to use the proposed permanent LCCT in KLIA Sepang or use turbo-prop aircraft out of Subang.

Only then, everyone can fly.

LCCT: Sime Darby raih banyak faedah

KUALA LUMPUR 6 Jan. - Sime Darby Bhd. bakal menjadi penerima manfaat utama proses perbandaran jangka panjang Semenanjung Malaysia seperti yang dibuktikan menerusi rancangan membina terminal penerbangan kos rendah (LCCT) baharu untuk AirAsia di kawasan seluas 1,200 hektar di Labu, Negeri Sembilan.

Menurut OSK Research Sdn. Bhd., pembangunan bandar akhirnya kelak akan sampai ke kawasan perladangan Sime Darby seluas 258,000 hektar.

Firma penyelidikan itu berkata, walaupun perbandaran merupakan proses yang perlahan, tetapi proses itu boleh dipercepatkan dengan membawa pembangunan ke kawasan perladangannya apabila peluang timbul.

"Penyumberan kawasan tanahnyalah yang kami anggap Sime Darby akan memperoleh sinergi paling besar hasil penggabungan mega itu," kata firma penyelidikan berkenaan.

OSK Research berkata, lapangan terbang baru itu akan segera meningkatkan potensi pembangunan dan sekali gus nilai tanah ladang di kawasan sekitarnya.

Sime Darby yang muncul hasil penggabungan Sime UEP dan cabang pembangunan hartanah Kumpulan Guthrie, merupakan pemaju hartanah terbesar di negara ini yang memiliki keluasan tanah kira-kira 14,800 hektar, dengan 3,480 hektar sudah sedia untuk dibangunkan pada bila-bila masa.

Firma itu berkata, penyelarasan sektor perladangan dan hartanah Sime darby dijangka menyumbang kira-kira RM400 hingga RM500 juta dalam manfaat penggabungan bagi tahun kewangan 2009.

"Dengan mengandaikan Sime Darby memperoleh manfaat sinergi ini dalam tahun kewangan 2008, dan menjana tambahan RM500 juta dalam keuntungan operasi dalam tempoh yang sama, dan keuntungan ini disumbangkan oleh bahagian perladangannya sahaja, keuntungan awal bagi setiap hektar meningkat kepada RM9,173 daripada RM8,124," katanya.

Mengenai perladangan, OSK Research berkata masih ada ruang untuk hasil Sime Darby meningkat, terutama di Indonesia dengan kira-kira 41.6 peratus pokok sudah berusia antara 5 dan 10 tahun.

Ia berkata di Malaysia, hasil dijangka lebih perlahan memandangkan keluasan tanaman pokok yang berusia antara 5 dan 10 tahun lebih kecil iaitu 28 peratus.

Sime Darby peroleh manfaat perbandaran


SIME Darby Bhd bakal menjadi penerima manfaat utama proses perbandaran jangka panjang Semenanjung Malaysia seperti yang dibuktikan menerusi rancangan membina terminal penerbangan kos rendah (LCCT) baru untuk AirAsia di kawasan seluas 1,200 hektar di ladangnya di Labu, Negeri Sembilan.

Menurut OSK Research Sdn Bhd, pembangunan bandar akhirnya kelak akan sampai ke kawasan perladangan Sime seluas 258,000 hektar.

Firma penyelidikan itu berkata walaupun perbandaran adalah proses yang perlahan, proses itu boleh dipercepatkan dengan membawa pembangunan ke kawasan perladangannya apabila peluang timbul.

“Penyumberan kawasan tanahnya yang kami anggap Sime akan memperoleh sinergi paling besar hasil penggabungan mega itu,” kata firma penyelidikan berkenaan.

OSK Research berkata, lapangan terbang baru itu akan segera meningkatkan potensi pembangunan dan sekali gus nilai tanah ladang di kawasan sekitarnya.

Sime yang muncul hasil penggabungan Sime UEP dan cabang pembangunan hartanah Kumpulan Guthrie, adalah pemaju hartanah terbesar di negara ini yang memiliki keluasan tanah kira-kira 14,800 hektar, dengan 3,480 hektar sudah sedia untuk dibangunkan pada bila-bila masa.

Firma itu berkata, penyelarasan sektor perladangan dan hartanah Sime dijangka menyumbang kira-kira RM400 juta hingga RM500 juta dalam manfaat penggabungan bagi tahun kewangan 2009.

“Dengan mengandaikan Sime memperoleh manfaat sinergi ini dalam tahun kewangan 2008, dan menjana tambahan RM500 juta dalam keuntungan operasi dalam tempoh sama, dan keuntungan ini disumbangkan oleh bahagian perladangannya saja, keuntungan awal bagi setiap hektar meningkat kepada RM9,173 daripada RM8,124,” katanya. - Bernama

[quote=patchay;30326368]The new budget air terminal at Labu

Cant understand TF. If thai airasia can remain in BKK and CGK can be hub for indo airasia, why there is a need for its own terminal in MY.

if tf insist of owning a terminal, why not buy over the land embarked for permanent lcc from MAHB.....just my wild thought:banana:

TF doesn't want to pay RM100 mil a year in airport fees to MAHB. it'd be more in years to comes with more planes, (more landing rights, gates, etc). remember they used to beg the government to exclusively operate out of subang airport. saying they can manage subang airport better themselves. of course, he doesn't care if you have to transfer from KLIA to subang airport cause he expects you to use AirAsia all the way...

only one option left. make sure MAS-Qantas talk success. so then hopefully Qantas can turn KLIA as their hub and we can start ignoring AirAsia. now, they think they are so penting....more important than making KLIA as regional hub. sigh...

only one option left. make sure MAS-Qantas talk success. so then hopefully Qantas can turn KLIA as their hub and we can start ignoring AirAsia. now, they think they are so penting....more important than making KLIA as regional hub. sigh...


Ramai malaysian tetap akan pilih AirAsia sbb murah :nuts:

Analysts not calling MAHB’s plan dead yet
by Gan Yen Kuan
Email us your feedback at fd@bizedge.com


KUALA LUMPUR: The government’s approval for the proposed low-cost carrier terminal (LCCT) in Labu, Negri Sembilan — a joint effort between Sime Darby Bhd and AirAsia Bhd — does not necessarily mean the authorities will scrap Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd’s (MAHB) proposal for a permanent LCCT in Sepang just yet, analysts said.

They said the major hurdle to Sime Darby-AirAsia’s proposal was AirAsia’s ability in obtaining financing to fund the construction of the Labu LCCT.

An analyst at Affin Securities said details on the Labu LCCT remained scarce; hence it was too early to judge which proposal would be the final winner.

“The project is a private-financing initiative. AirAsia has to get financing and this is the main risk,” she said. “We are not sure if Sime Darby will help finance the project but we understand that they are likely to only provide land.

“Whether they (Sime Darby-AirAsia) will be able to go ahead with the project remains a question,” she added.

The analyst said the government was unlikely to allow the construction of two separate LCCTs, in Labu and Sepang, as these locations are geographically near to each other.

In the event that the Labu LCCT was the final choice, she said MAHB would likely try to acquire a stake in the Labu airport.

“I don’t think MAHB will sit back and do nothing. But then again, MAHB’s proposal is still awaiting the government’s approval. The final new LCCT could be either one.”

Sime Darby on Monday announced that it had obtained the government’s nod to proceed with the proposed LCCT project in Labu.

On the same day, MAHB issued a four-page statement reiterating that a proposed new permanent LCCT near the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) was part of the National Airport Master Plan.

MAHB had said the location was selected as it would provide excellent connectivity for both landside and airside transfers for passengers and baggage, and that the construction could be self-funded by MAHB at a reasonable cost.

HwangDBS Vickers Research, in its research note yesterday, said: “In our opinion, we don’t think it makes sense for the government to approve AirAsia and Sime Darby a new LCCT in Labu given that it requires the companies to build a whole new facility altogether, while it makes more economical sense to ride on existing facilities (such as the runway and the oil tank farm) in KLIA.”

The research house added that the Labu LCCT project would go against the plan to promote KLIA as an air travel hub in the region.

In a separate research note on Monday, HwangDBS Vickers also said Sime Darby-AirAsia’s plan to build LCCT may take longer than expected, namely more than two years. It said the challenge for AirAsia was in obtaining more funding for the new airport, apart from the existing funding needs for its fleet expansion.

only one option left. make sure MAS-Qantas talk success. so then hopefully Qantas can turn KLIA as their hub and we can start ignoring AirAsia. now, they think they are so penting....more important than making KLIA as regional hub. sigh...

aiks i tot the talk is off?

no lah! the off one is between Qantas and BA lah!

in the end the Federal Government will be made to pay for the Labu Airport. Sime said they provide a space for an airport, Air Asia wants to build using their own pocket change even if they realised they cant really do so.

I heard AirAsia is trying to cancel aircraft orders but they cant. So now they are negotiating for 1 aircraft per month instead of 2 aircraft per month. Because of some deal that didnt went trough in Jakarta, Philippines and somewhere. Might not be true. But hey you dont have to be a genius to think about it. If they are struggling to fill their planes and pay mortgages for each plane how the hell will they pay to build an airport?

Melayu jangan mudah lupa, Air Asia took Rural Air Service and vowed to turn it into a profitable venture but what happens? Government and MAS had to take responsibility and wipe shits and spits TF left behind and he did away with a free AOC.

If they can get free AOC i dont see them having much troubles to con the government into paying them a free airport. Right next to KLIA!!

Sime Darby beruntung

http://www.btimes.com.my/articles/aal-2/pix_middle

SIME Darby Bhd bakal menjadi penerima manfaat utama proses perbandaran jangka panjang Semenanjung Malaysia seperti yang dibuktikan menerusi rancangan membina terminal penerbangan kos rendah (LCCT) baru untuk AirAsia di kawasan seluas 1,200 hektar di ladangnya di Labu.

Menurut OSK Research Sdn Bhd, pembangunan bandar akhirnya kelak akan sampai ke kawasan perladangan Sime Darby seluas 258,000 hektar.

Firma penyelidikan itu berkata, walaupun perbandaran adalah proses yang perlahan, namun proses itu boleh dipercepatkan dengan membawa pembangunan ke kawasan perladangannya apabila peluang timbul.

“Penyumberan kawasan tanahnyalah yang kami anggap Sime Darby akan memperoleh sinergi paling besar hasil penggabungan mega itu,” kata firma penyelidikan berkenaan.

OSK Research berkata, lapangan terbang baru itu akan segera meningkatkan potensi pembangunan dan sekali gus nilai tanah ladang di kawasan sekitarnya.

Sime Darby yang muncul hasil penggabungan Sime UEP dan cabang pembangunan hartanah Kumpulan Guthrie, adalah pemaju hartanah terbesar di negara ini yang memiliki keluasan tanah kira-kira 14,800 hektar, dengan 3,480 hektar sedia untuk dibangunkan pada bila-bila masa.

Firma itu berkata, penyelarasan sektor perladangan dan hartanah Sime Darby dijangka menyumbang kira-kira RM400 hingga RM500 juta dalam manfaat penggabungan bagi tahun kewangan 2009.

“Dengan mengandaikan Sime Darby memperoleh manfaat sinergi ini dalam tahun kewangan 2008, dan menjana tambahan RM500 juta dalam keuntungan operasi dalam tempoh yang sama, dan keuntungan ini disumbangkan bahagian perladangannya saja, keuntungan awal bagi setiap hektar meningkat kepada RM9,173 daripada RM8,124,” katanya.

Mengenai perladangan, OSK Research berkata, masih ada ruang untuk hasil Sime Darby meningkat, terutama di Indonesia dengan kira-kira 41.6 peratus pokok berusia antara 5 dan 10 tahun.

Ia berkata di Malaysia, hasil dijangka lebih perlahan memandangkan keluasan tanaman pokok yang berusia antara lima dan 10 tahun lebih kecil iaitu 28 peratus. - Bernama

AirAsia says KLIA not suitable for its growing operations
By Lee Wei Lian

SEPANG, Jan 8 — Low-cost carrier AirAsia says it is in talks with several international and domestic investors to fund the construction of the proposed KLIA-East in Labu, Negri Sembilan, the new dedicated low-cost carrier airport it is jointly developing with Sime Darby Bhd.

The government has already given the nod for the project despite objections from Malaysia Airports, who also want to build a new permanent Low-Cost Carrier Terminal (LCCT) to replace the current facility which is bursting at the seams.

Making the case for KLIA-East today, AirAsia boss Datuk Tony Fernandes said there were concerns that KLIA's new LCCT would not be ready until 2014.

MORE TO COME

Tony has hit back at MAHB!!!

This is indeed a terminal case!!! Everyone from the government side is just weak. And the ones from the private side is taking advantage of the entire situation. Where is our honorable Dr. M??? KLIA was his masterpiece anyway... :ohno:

dato' tony really confidenla
AirAsia sees Labu LCCT ready by 2011
Published: 2009/01/08

BUDGET airline AirAsia Bhd expects KLIA East, the proposed low cost carrier terminal in Labu, Negri Sembilan, to be ready by March 2011, chief executive officer Datuk Seri Tony Fernandes said today.

However, he said it was still premature to detail out owning and funding plans of the new airport that for now was estimated to cost RM1.6 billion.

It is imperative for AirAsia and AirAsia X to have the new facility by 2011 as the current LCCT was built for 10 million passengers and they are already crossing 11 million passengers, he said.

Although the expansion plans for the existing LCCT would increase capacity to 15 million passengers this year, no further expansion was possible due to its size constraints, he told reporters in Sepang.

Even with the extension, he said the group was still short of two parking bays.

“In two years’ time, this airline will go bust if we do not have the facility,” he said.

“The key thing is we cannot slow down our growth because we have bought planes,” he said.

Fernandes said it was estimated that by 2013, the combined annual traffic flown by both AirAsia and AirAsiaX would be 60 million passengers per annum, more than SIA and Thai combined.

He added that by then, AirAsia would have 159 narrowbody aircraft and AirAsiaX would have 25 widebody aircraft, a combined total of 184 aircraft compared to Malaysia Airline’s estimated fleet of 125.

“By 2013, only Japan Airlines would be bigger than us in terms of passengers. We could be the second biggest airline in Asia by 2030,” he said. — Bernama

in the end the Federal Government will be made to pay for the Labu Airport. Sime said they provide a space for an airport, Air Asia wants to build using their own pocket change even if they realised they cant really do so.

I heard AirAsia is trying to cancel aircraft orders but they cant. So now they are negotiating for 1 aircraft per month instead of 2 aircraft per month. Because of some deal that didnt went trough in Jakarta, Philippines and somewhere. Might not be true. But hey you dont have to be a genius to think about it. If they are struggling to fill their planes and pay mortgages for each plane how the hell will they pay to build an airport?

Melayu jangan mudah lupa, Air Asia took Rural Air Service and vowed to turn it into a profitable venture but what happens? Government and MAS had to take responsibility and wipe shits and spits TF left behind and he did away with a free AOC.

If they can get free AOC i dont see them having much troubles to con the government into paying them a free airport. Right next to KLIA!!

siapa melayu yg you maksudkan tu..? not me! :lol:

dato' tony really confidenla
AirAsia sees Labu LCCT ready by 2011
Published: 2009/01/08

BUDGET airline AirAsia Bhd expects KLIA East, the proposed low cost carrier terminal in Labu, Negri Sembilan, to be ready by March 2011, chief executive officer Datuk Seri Tony Fernandes said today.

However, he said it was still premature to detail out owning and funding plans of the new airport that for now was estimated to cost RM1.6 billion.

It is imperative for AirAsia and AirAsia X to have the new facility by 2011 as the current LCCT was built for 10 million passengers and they are already crossing 11 million passengers, he said.

Although the expansion plans for the existing LCCT would increase capacity to 15 million passengers this year, no further expansion was possible due to its size constraints, he told reporters in Sepang.

Even with the extension, he said the group was still short of two parking bays.

“In two years’ time, this airline will go bust if we do not have the facility,” he said.

“The key thing is we cannot slow down our growth because we have bought planes,” he said.

Fernandes said it was estimated that by 2013, the combined annual traffic flown by both AirAsia and AirAsiaX would be 60 million passengers per annum, more than SIA and Thai combined.

He added that by then, AirAsia would have 159 narrowbody aircraft and AirAsiaX would have 25 widebody aircraft, a combined total of 184 aircraft compared to Malaysia Airline’s estimated fleet of 125.

“By 2013, only Japan Airlines would be bigger than us in terms of passengers. We could be the second biggest airline in Asia by 2030,” he said. — Bernama

wah wah wah....confiden nya dia!:nuts: i guess OASIS Hong Kong pun pernah berangan-angan nak jadik 'world's largest and greatest budget carrier' jugak....tak payah lah nak poyo sgt. nanti menyusahkan org (kerajaan) jugak....

^^ that's what you call a sales pitch. weather become biggest or not, that's belakang cerita...

you have to remember that when airasia gets bigger, full service competitors will also adjust their prices to be competitive w/ airasia...

Wiki >>>> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/KLIA_East_@_Labu

have anybody seen the terminal buildingin the news?..it look quiet good

have anybody seen the terminal buildingin the news?..it look quiet good

yeah based tv3 news yesterday...the new terminal looks so much better than the current 'gudang' terminal...its a real airportla...

Labu LCCT Terminal To Accomodate AirAsia's Rising Capacity


SEPANG, Jan 8 (Bernama) -- KLIA East, the proposed new low cost carrier terminal at Labu in Negeri Sembilan, will sustain AirAsia's exponential growth as opposed to the LCCT at KLIA from where it is operating now.

Otherwise, if it sticks to the LCCT at Sepang, AirAsia claims it would go bust, its chief executive officer, Datuk Seri Tony Fernandes, said today.

This is because the new airport, to be ready by March 2011, would be able to increase passenger capacity by up to 50 million passengers per annum, especially with its planned seamless connectivity, he said.

In contrast, he explained that although the current expansion plans for the existing LCCT at Sepang would increase capacity to 15 million passengers this year, no further expansion was possible due to its size constraints.

"In two years' time, this airline will go bust if we do not have the facility. If we don't move by 2010, we will lose almost a million passengers and about four million passengers by 2011," he told a press conference here.

After the press conference, Fernandes took the media for a tour of the proposed site which is located at a plantation owned by Sime Darby Bhd, with which the budget airline would develop the airport.

He said the development structure of the RM1.6 billion airport was yet to be known although there were various ways to reduce the estimated cost.

"At the very worst, AirAsia will undertake the project. In a best case scenario, a third party will probably own the asset."

"We do not see any issue in financing," he said.

He said AirAsia was also in talks with infrastructure funding institutions should it need to undertake the project on its own.

"We are prepared for any eventuality, but KLIA East is defintely on. If Sime Darby doesn't want to build it, we're already talking to funding partners," he said.

Asked if they would consider approaching airport operator Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd to jointly undertake the project, he said: "So long, as it makes commercial sense."

Expanding on the capacity constraints, Fernandes said it was imperative for AirAsia and AirAsia X, its international arm, to have the new facility by 2011 as the current LCCT was only built for 10 million passengers but the number of passengers had crossed the 11 million mark.

"Even with the extension, we are still short of two parking bays," he said.

Fernandes said it was estimated that by 2013, the combined annual traffic flown by both AirAsia and AirAsiaX would be 60 million passengers per annum, more than SIA and Thai combined.

By then, AirAsia would have 159 narrowbody aircraft and AirAsiaX 25 widebody aircraft, leading to a combined total of 184 aircraft versus Malaysia Airlines' estimated fleet of 125 aircraft.

"By 2013, only Japan Airlines would be bigger than us in terms of passengers. We could be the second biggest airline in Asia by 2030," he said.

It would take about the same time to travel from KLIA East to the main terminal at KLIA, as from the current LCCT at Sepang.

He said connectivity was also encouraging for KLIA East with the primary access being the PLUS KL-Seremban Highway, the connecting road to Sepang F1 circuit and KLIA.

He also said connections to the proposed West Coast Highway and Putrajaya-KLIA-Senawang Highway could be achieved with a new connector road.

There could also be potentially two train lines -- one served by the KTM Komuter (Rawang-Seremban line), for which AirAsia was in discussions with KTM to upgrade the Labu station as a rail hub, while the other was to have an inter-city train such as KL-Singapore, KL-Thailand and KL-East Coast.

He said the extension of the Express Rail Link (ERL) was also possible with additional investments.

Fernandes explained that new aiport would complement Kuala Lumpur further as a travelling hub.

He said the airport was mainly a place where people pass through while the airlines are the ones that build hubs through connectivity of routes and flight frequencies.

"It is no different from London as a hub with its five airports. As long as there is good connectivity between the airports, it's all good," he said.

In difficult times like these when nobody wants to invest, he said the project would create more jobs and economic value.

"With Sime Darby's Vission Valley, we are going to be a hub for Asean," he said.

He said KLIA East was an integral part of Sime Darby's plan for its Negeri Sembilan Vision City (NSVC), which in turn is an integral part of its Central Vision Valley property development project spanning Selangor and Negeri Sembilan.

-- BERNAMA

AirAsia in funding talks
By Presenna NambiarPublished: 2009/01/09

http://www.btimes.com.my/articles/aal-2/pix_middle

The airline is exploring financing options in the event that it has to be the party developing the RM1.6 billion low cost carrier terminal in Labu

AIRASIA Bhd is in talks with infrastructure funds and bankers on the funding needed to develop the RM1.6 billion airport in Labu, Negri Sembilan.

"Sime Darby Bhd has not finalised whether they will be an equity holder, developer or just outright sell the land to us. So, on our side, we have to be prepared for any eventuality," AirAsia Bhd deputy chief executive officer Datuk Kamaruddin Meranun told reporters in Sepang yesterday.

AirAsia said the group was prepared to own the airport, but preferred to be just an operator.

The airport, to be built on 1,200ha, is to be completed by March 2011.

"So, in the event that Sime Darby says we have to develop it ourselves, we have already started talking to some infrastructure funds and bankers. We are not concerned about financing," Kamaruddin said.

Yesterday, AirAsia held a briefing and tour of the proposed site for the new airport in an effort to stem a public outcry against the project.

Sime Darby officials are expected to speak to the media about the project next week.

AirAsia chief executive officer Datuk Seri Tony Fernandes has dubbed the low cost carrier terminal (LCCT) to be built in Labu as "Terminal Rakyat".

"We want the public to understand what we are trying to do and that we are trying to do something good for the country," Fernandes said.

KLIA East is to be connected to two rail links, via Keretapi Tanah Melayu and Express Rail Link, at a cost of RM20 million.

Details on which party will finance the links have not been finalised.

On why AirAsia needed its own airport when Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB) had already made known plans of building a permanent LCCT with a capacity of 30 million passengers, Fernandes said he did not think that it would be feasible for MAHB to build the terminal, considering the delays which had occurred during the expansion of the existing LCCT.

According to Fernandes, the expanded LCCT was supposed to be ready by September 2007. It is still undergoing work and will be completed by March this year.

"The last time I spoke to MAHB, they told me they could only build me a permanent LCCT by 2014 at a site opposite the main terminal now. That made us very, very nervous," he said.

Consequently, the airline began looking for an alternative, Fernandes said.

"The key thing is, we cannot slow down our growth; we have planes coming in. For AirAsia X alone, there will be six planes by the end of 2009," he said.

MAHB, in a press statement last Monday, had said that AirAsia had been consulted on the development of its National Airport Master Plan, which includes the proposed permanent LCCT.

Fernandes said that he was open to MAHB having an interest in the Labu airport.

Labu LCCT ownership structure ready by April
By B.K. SIDHU


SEPANG: AirAsia Bhd expects the ownership and financing structure for the proposed low-cost carrier terminal (LCCT) at Labu in Negri Sembilan to be finalised by April, said group chief executive officer Datuk Seri Tony Fernandes.

“We are in talks with several domestic and international investors who have expressed interest in financing the project,’’ he told reporters yesterday in a briefing on the project, to be known as KLIA East.

He did not name the potential investors.

Sime Darby Bhd was recently given the nod by the Government to build the low-cost terminal at Labu, which is estimated to cost between RM1.6bil and RM2bil.

Sime Darby will provide about 3,000 acres of land which will house a terminal building that can cater up to 30 million passengers a year.

The facility can be expanded to handle 50 million passengers with two runways.

The Labu site is 50km from Kuala Lumpur and 18km from KLIA.

If all goes as planned, the terminal will be completed by 2011, at a time when AirAsia’s passenger capacity will be much higher than the 10 million it handles at the current domestic LCCT.

AirAsia handled about 20 million passengers last year, taking into account its operations in Thailand and Indonesia, and that of sister airline, AirAsiaX.

By 2013, it expects to fly 60 million passengers per year, when it will have 159 narrow-bodied and 25 wide-bodied aircraft.

“By 2013, only Japan Airlines will be bigger than us in terms of passenger numbers. We would be the second biggest airline in Asia by 2030,’’ Fernandes said.

That was why AirAsia needed a new terminal as the existing terminal’s capacity at LCCT, which is being expanded to handle 15 million passengers annually, would not be able to handle the projected growth, he said.

Fernandes said the airline had seen 13 sites but found the Labu location ideal.

“The key thing is that we cannot slow down our growth because we have bought aircraft and we need a bigger terminal. We are building for 30 million passengers and we should be supported,” he said.

By having a dedicated terminal, Fernandes said the airline could bring down its cost by 20% and this would be translated to lower fares.

Asked if other airlines would be able to use the KLIA East airport, Fernandes said “the idea is not to go into (the) airport business but to serve our business.’’

the whole airport complete by march 2011? what a joke......

^^ if you build a metal box and a concrete strip, it'd can be done in 1 year. better yet, just forget the box, all you need is just a concrete strip, passengers can just wait at the end of the runaway...

maybe to cut cost they will...
* use hand signals to land the plan (communication equipments are expensive)
* passenger will have to directly load/unload their checked baggage on the plane they want to ride... (no need to hire those throwers)
* passenger will not only check-in themselves, but carry the checked luggage to the airplane itself... (again, no need to hire those throwers)
* for the gate, it will only unlock themselves when the plane is ready. (no need to hire those people who check your ticket, you verify the ticket and id urself to a machine)
* the future, the planes will fly themselves on autopilot (no need to pay pilot...)
* F&B? bring ur own....

maybe to cut cost they will...
* use hand signals to land the plan (communication equipments are expensive)


ICAO or IATA will shout :lol:

Breaking News: LCCT now fully operational after FIRE but flights delayed (Update 2)

KUALA LUMPUR: Budget airport terminal LCCT is now fully operational.

Budget airline Air Asia’s head Datuk Tony Fernandes said that no flights were cancelled due to fire at the LCCT Friday morning but more than 20 flights would be delayed.

Meanwhile, Malaysia Airport Holdings Bhd Senior General Manager Datuk Azmi Murad said that even when the fire was being put out, only check-ins had been briefly halted.

He said the fire started in the storeroom of a duty free shop in the current international departure hall.

“The small fire started at about 11.15am and was caused by a spark from some of the ongoing works near there landing on a box in the storeroom.”

Azmi said it was normal procedure in the event of a fire to evacuate passengers from the airport and stop check-ins.

“The terminal was not closed. There was a lot of smoke but it was a small fire that was put out immediately,” he said, adding that operations fully resumed at 12.30pm.

More to come

oh LCCT LCCT LCCT

watever it is the new KLIA East looks so much better than the current warehouse LCCT...the new LCCT a real airport....

^^ The thing is the pax volume at new LCCT will count as KLIA's total ? Thats the most important.

^^ The thing is the pax volume at new LCCT will count as KLIA's total ? Thats the most important.

u know what SP..come to think of it...i really wanna see whether this thing will materialised or not....TF ...cakap memang la senang..airport to complete by march 2011? what a joke...in bolehland.....anything can happen..kalo dah ada twin tower...why not twin airport...:nuts:

^^ should not be cause they might use different IATA codes.

btw, i've heard that some blogs claim that IATA recommends distance between 2 busy airports should be at least 40km for safety issue. can anyone verify this?

Race to secure new LCCT
by Gan Yen Kuan, Doreen Leong & Pauline Puah
Email us your feedback at fd@bizedge.com


SEPANG: The race to secure the new permanent low-cost carrier terminal (LCCT) has started. Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB) has finalised its master plan for a new LCCT near the existing main terminal in Sepang, while AirAsia yesterday came out with more details on its proposed terminal in Labu, Negri Sembilan.

Sources said MAHB would submit its master plan to the government soon. The irony is AirAsia is part of the steering committee that finalised and approved the airport operator’s master plan, according to a source.

“The government and AirAsia are aware of the master plan, which has been finalised and approved by the steering committee. It will be submitted to the government soon,” the source said.

“In the 16 months when the master plan was being worked out, AirAsia, which is part of the steering committee, did not raise any issue on the plan. So why are issues raised outside the meeting now?” the source said.

Transport Minister Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat said yesterday the government had not made a decision on MAHB’s proposed new LCCT.

Meanwhile, AirAsia group chief executive officer Datuk Seri Tony Fernandes said yesterday the carrier would finalise the funding for its own proposed LCCT, named KLIA East@Labu, by April. The cost of the LCCT, excluding land cost, is estimated at RM1.6 billion.

The budget carrier is partnering Sime Darby Bhd to build the Labu terminal. On Monday, Sime Darby obtained the government’s nod to proceed with the project.

Fernandes also dismissed sceptics who contended that AirAsia would face problems in securing financing for KLIA East@Labu, which may result in MAHB’s proposal being carried out instead. He stressed that the Labu LCCT project “is definitely on”.

He said it was in talks with bankers, infrastructure funds and investors to work out an “optimum funding structure”. AirAsia may partly or fully own KLIA East@Labu, or may even just be a pure operator of the airport without having a stake in the asset, he said, adding that it was open to MAHB taking a stake in the Labu LCCT.

“We certainly do not see any issue in financing it. There are so many options available to us. The final structure has not been finalised yet,” Fernandes said at a media briefing here yesterday. Reporters were also brought to tour Sime Darby’s Labu estate earmarked for the development of the LCCT after the briefing.

The capital of owning 100% of the Labu LCCT is equivalent to buying 12 Airbus A320 aircraft, Fernandes said. “We think it’s better for infrastructure funds and investors to own the asset, and lease it to AirAsia. We will manage it. This is the model we are looking at.”

AirAsia deputy group CEO Kamaruddin Meranun added: “Sime Darby also has not finalised the structure — whether they will be equity holder, or developer, or just sell the land outright.”

Asked if other budget carriers would also be allowed to operate out of KLIA East@Labu, Fernandes said the approval given so far was only for AirAsia to use the LCCT.

The first phase of the development of the Labu LCCT, due to be completed in March 2011, will create a capacity of 30 million passengers per year. The capacity can be further increased to 50 million passengers, depending on AirAsia’s growth.

The existing temporary LCCT in Sepang, which is being expanded, has the capacity to handle 10 million passengers currently. After the expansion, which is scheduled to be completed in March, it can handle 15 million passengers.

Fernandes said AirAsia needed a new LCCT as there would be no more room for expansion at the existing terminal. By 2014, it would see a capacity shortfall of some 12 million passengers at the temporary LCCT. Other budget carriers that operate out of the existing LCCT are AirAsia’s sister airlines Thai AirAsia and Indonesia AirAsia, as well as Tiger Airways and Cebu Pacific.

MoF, not MoT, to decide on MAHB’s LCCT plan
by Pauline Puah
Email us your feedback at fd@bizedge.com


KUALA LUMPUR: The Ministry of Finance (MoF), not transport, will have to decide on Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd’s (MAHB) proposal to build a permanent low cost carrier terminal (LCCT) at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) in Sepang.

“MAHB is a GLC (government-linked company) under the MoF. People may think that it’s under the jurisdiction of MoT. Actually it’s not,” Transport Minister Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat told The Edge Financial Daily yesterday.

He said MAHB had yet to finalise the site location for the proposed permanent LCCT in Sepang. However, it is learnt that MAHB will be submitting the masterplan to the government soon.

Sime Darby Bhd announced on Monday that it had obtained the government’s approval to proceed with its proposed LCCT in Labu, Negri Sembilan. The proposed airport KLIA East@Labu is a collaboration with AirAsia Bhd. It surprised people because the government had last year said it would support MAHB’s proposal.

On the same day, MAHB issued a statement reiterating that it was more viable and reasonable to have the LCCT at KLIA. It said the identification of a location of the new permanent LCCT at KLIA was the result of the National Airport Master Plan initiated in July 2007 by MAHB with the support of the transport and finance ministries.

A government source familiar with the matter yesterday told The Edge Financial Daily it would not be a surprise if the MoF was directed to relook at MAHB’s proposed airport. He said since MAHB had yet to finalise the details of its proposal, “we cannot simply sit back and wait for them”.

Asked about his ministry’s stand on the LCCT at KLIA, Ong said the matter would have to be decided by MoF and MAHB. “At the end of the day, you must be able to see whether this is viable or not,” he said.

Ong said the matter of having two LCCTs had yet to be brought up in the cabinet.

LCCT baru kurangkan kos 20 peratus

BERIKUT adalah transkrip soalan yang menarik pada sidang akhbar AirAsia:
Adakah kelulusan eksklusif pembinaan KLIA-East untuk AirAsia sesuatu yang luar biasa dalam industri penerbangan?

FERNANDES: Tidak kerana Bangkok Airways memiliki lapangan terbang sendiri iaitu Lapangan Terbang Koh Samui dan tidak membenarkan mana-mana syarikat penerbangan lain menggunakannya.

Kenapa perlu AirAsia membina terminal lapangan sendiri sedangkan pembesaran LCCT sedia ada dilaksanakan oleh MAHB?

FERNANDES: Kami tahu apa keperluan AirAsia, kami bukannya bodoh. Di sini (LCCT) tidak ada nilai tambah yang boleh kami tawarkan kepada penumpang. Jadi benarkan kami memilih jalan sendiri.

Dalam senario sekarang, adakah AirAsia tidak sabar menunggu kerja-kerja pembesaran LCCT selesai?

FERNANDES: Kerja-kerja pembesaran LCCT yang dilakukan sekarang sepatutnya disiapkan pada September 2007 tetapi sekarang Januari 2009.

LCCT sekarang sudah tidak mampu menampung jumlah penumpang AirAsia yang semakin membesar. Kemudahan LCCT sekarang menjadi masalah besar sekarang dan kami yang menerima akibatnya kerana sering mendapat rungutan penumpang. Macam inilah, sebagai penyewa yang baik, sekiranya pemilik rumah tidak menjaga kita dengan baik, adakah kita akan terus mendiami rumah tersebut?.

Untuk pengetahuan umum, kami juga tidak suka berpindah randah kerana ia bukan mudah untuk sebuah syarikat penerbangan. Kami pernah beroperasi di Subang dan kemudian terpaksa ke Lapangan Terbang Antarabangsa Kuala Lumpur (KLIA) kononnya untuk menyelaraskan KLIA sebagai pusat tetapi kami sekali lagi diminta keluar dari KLIA.

Sekiranya Sime Darby Bhd. tidak jadi terlibat dalam membangunkan KLIA-East, adakah AirAsia akan menawarkannya kepada MAHB?

FERNANDES: Saya secara peribadi, saya tidak ada masalah, saya terbuka kepada semua termasuk MAHB asalkan ia bersifat komersial.

Pada pandangan anda adakah MAHB perlu membina LCCT baru untuk kegunaan syarikat penerbangan tambang murah yang lain?

FERNANDES: Pada masa ini, hanya dua syarikat penerbangan tambang murah yang menggunakan LCCT selain AirAsia iaitu Tiger Airways dengan lima penerbangan sehari dan Sibu Pacific satu penerbangan. Jetstar Airways tidak suka beroperasi di LCCT sebaliknya memilih terminal utama. MAHB sebenarnya boleh meneruskan operasi di LCCT sedia ada atau digunakan untuk kargo. Seperti di Singapura, terminal LCCT digunakan untuk menampung penumpang sehingga dua juta atau memindahkan semua operasi penerbangan penumpang di terminal utama seperti yang dilakukan oleh kebanyakan syarikat penerbangan tambang murah. Lagipun setakat ini tidak ada keperluan untuk membina LCCT lain di sini.

Sebanyak mana pengurangan kos mampu dinikmati oleh penumpang AirAsia apabila operasi LCCT yang baru bermula?

FERNANDES: Kami percaya mampu melaksanakan model perniagaan tambang murah apabila beroperasi di LCCT baru nanti. Meskipun terlalu awal tetapi saya yakin AirAsia mampu mengurangkan kos sebanyak 20 peratus.

Air Asia dan KLIA East

http://www.utusan.com.my/pix/2009/0109/Utusan_Malaysia/Korporat/ko_01.1.jpg
berSEDIA KE TEMPAT BARU... Tony Fernandes mendakwa kemudahan LCCT sedia ada gagal untuk memenuhi pertumbuhan pesat AirAsia.

SEPANG 8 Jan. - AirAsia Bhd. (AirAsia) tidak berhasrat membuka terminal lapangan terbang tambang murah miliknya, KLIA-East di Labu yang dijangka mula dibina selewat-lewatnya Mac ini, kepada mana-mana syarikat penerbangan lain.

Ketua Pegawai Eksekutif AirAsia, Datuk Seri Tony Fernandes berkata terminal yang dijadualkan siap pada 2011 akan menempatkan operasi dua syarikat penerbangan milik AirAsia iaitu AirAsia dan AirAsia X sahaja.

Beliau berkata: ''KLIA-East diluluskan kerajaan hanya untuk AirAsia sahaja. Lagipun idea membinanya bukan untuk tujuan perniagaan tetapi memberi kemudahan yang selesa kepada para penumpang,''

Ditanya sama ada AirAsia akan menjadi pemilik LCCT baru itu, Fernandes berkata, setakat ini, AirAsia mempunyai pilihan sama ada memiliki terminal berkenaan ataupun hanya bertindak sebagai penyewa sahaja.

''Kami masih memikirkan perkara itu. Bagaimanapun kami terfikir daripada memiliki KLIA- East adalah lebih baik sekiranya AirAsia menggunakan wang tersebut untuk membeli 12 pesawat A320.

''Bagi saya adalah lebih baik, kami menggunakan wang untuk membeli lebih banyak pesawat atau menambah laluan berbanding memiliki aset (KLIA-East),'' tambah beliau.

Fernandes berkata, pihaknya juga telah menerima beberapa tawaran daripada penyedia dana yang berminat untuk memiliki KLIA-East dan menyewakan kepada AirAsia.

''Kami masih meneliti semua pilihan yang ada dan berharap dapat membuat satu keputusan muktamad dalam dua bulan lagi,'' kata beliau.

Fernandes juga berkata, pihaknya tidak pasti sama ada Sime Darby Bhd. (Sime Darby) akan hanya terlibat dalam pembinaan atau sekadar menjual tanah mahupun hanya memiliki ekuiti dalam KLIA-East.

''Itu semua bergantung kepada kelulusan lembaga pengarah Sime Darby dan saya tidak boleh mengulas lanjut mengenainya,'' kata beliau.

Sebelum ini, Sime Darby dilaporkan akan membina KLIA- East dengan kos RM1.6 juta tidak termasuk harga tanah dan kemudian menjualnya kepada AirAsia.

Berikutan itu, katanya, AirAsia juga telah membuat persediaan sekiranya berlaku sebarang perubahan berhubung urusan pembinaan KLIA-East.

Pada sidang akhbar itu, Fernandes sekali lagi menegaskan bahawa pembinaan terminal LCCT baru itu penting sekali bagi AirAsia dan AirAsia X menjelang 2011 kerana LCCT sedia ada di KLIA hanya mampu menampung 10 juta penumpang berbanding penumpang Airasia kini mencecah 11 juta.

Katanya, AirAsia juga masih mengalami masalah kekurangan dua tempat letak kapal terbang.

Beliau mendakwa operasi AirAsia akan 'hancur' sekiranya kemudahan yang disediakan oleh Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd. (MAHB) tidak selaras dengan pertumbuhan syarikat penerbangan tambang murah itu.

''Kami tidak boleh memperlahankan pertumbuhan apatah lagi AirAsia sudah membeli kapal-kapal terbang baru,'' ujarnya.

AirAsia akan memiliki 184 buah pesawat termasuk 159 pesawat berbadan kecil dan 25 pesawat berbadan besar menjelang 2013 berbanding Malaysia Airlines System Bhd. (MAS).

Fernandes berkata, syarikat itu mengunjurkan menjelang 2013, penumpang AirAsia dan AirAsia X mencecah 60 juta penumpang setahun, melebihi penumpang SIA.

''Menjelang 2013, AirAsia akan muncul sebagai syarikat penerbangan kedua yang memiliki penumpang terbesar selepas Japan Airlines.

''Tetapi syarikat ini akan menjadi syarikat yang memiliki pesawat terbanyak pada 2030,'' tambahnya.

KLIA East mampu jimatkan kos operasi AirAsia



http://www.bharian.com.my/Friday/Ekonomi/20090109083519/mainpix1.jpg

AIRASIA Bhd menjangkakan penggunaan KLIA East di Labu, Negeri Sembilan yang dikhususkan hanya bagi kegunaannya, mampu menjimatkan kos operasinya sehingga 20 peratus apabila lapangan terbang baru itu mula beroperasi pada Mac 2011.

Ketua Eksekutif Kumpulannya, Datuk Seri Tony Fernandes, berkata sebagai pemilik dan pengurus KLIA East, ia dapat merancang dan menggunakan kemudahan di lapangan terbang itu secara inovatif mengikut keperluan operasinya yang lebih khusus dan tersendiri.

“Semua operasi di lapangan terbang itu kelak boleh dirancang secara khusus untuk menepati keperluan syarikat penerbangan kos rendah daripada penggunaan kemudahan mendaftar masuk sehinggalah penjadualan penggunaan tempat meletak pesawat.



“Langkah ini berserta langkah inovatif lain akan menjimatkan kos operasi keseluruhan kami sehingga 20 peratus,” katanya pada sidang akhbar selepas lawatan media ke terminal syarikat penerbangan kos rendah (LCCT) di Sepang, semalam.

AirAsia semalam turut membawa media meninjau tapak bagi KLIA East di Ladang Labu, Labu, Negeri Sembilan dalam kawasan ladang sawit milik Sime Darby Bhd berhampiran Lapangan Terbang Antarabangsa KL (KLIA) di Sepang.

Turut hadir, Timbalan Ketua Eksekutif AirAsia, Datuk Kamarudin Meranun dan arkitek projek KLIA East, Ahmad Farid Baharuddin daripada RSP Akitek.

AirAsia kekal harga
Oleh Hayati Ibrahim
ya_t@hmetro.com.my

AIRASIA Berhad (Airasia), yakin mampu mengekalkan tambang penerbangan murah apabila mengendali sendiri lapangan terbang kerana boleh mengawal kos operasi berbanding lapangan terbang dikendali pihak lain.

Ketua Pegawai Eksekutif (CEO) Kumpulan AirAsia, Datuk Seri Tony Fernandes, berkata kos pembinaan Terminal Penerbangan Tambang Murah (LCCT) persendirian di Labu, Negeri Sembilan, yang akan dikenali KLIA-East@Labu, kurang daripada pelaburan asal yang dianggarkan RM1.6 bilion.

Menurutnya, keyakinan itu disandarkan kepada keadaan ekonomi semasa dan kecekapan pengurusan kos yang akan dilaksanakan syarikat penerbangan tambang murah terkemuka di Asia itu yang akan mengendalikan sendiri lapangan terbang berkenaan.

Tony berkata, keadaan ekonomi dunia yang suram ketika ini, memberi kelebihan kepada sektor pembinaan kerana kos bahan binaan lebih rendah, selain harga minyak mentah dunia yang murah dari semasa ke semasa.

“Kami percaya pembinaan KLIA-East@Labu tepat pada masanya kerana kos pembinaan yang rendah ketika ini, berikutan keadaan ekonomi dunia kurang memberangsangkan.

“Selain itu, apabila mengendali sendiri lapangan terbang berkenaan, kami boleh mengawal kos operasi bagi memastikan penumpang terus mendapat kadar tambang murah.

“Jika dikendali pihak lain, kami tidak yakin dapat memberikan tambang semurah yang diberikan ketika ini.

“Kami juga yakin dapat membinanya dengan kos kurang daripada RM1.6 bilion kerana kami yang menguruskannya sendiri.

“Jika dikatakan tiada pakar, kami boleh mengupah pakar berkemampuan untuk membina dan mengendali mengikut kehendak syarikat,” katanya pada taklimat media dan sesi lawatan ke tapak cadangan pembinaan LCCT di Labu, Negeri Sembilan, semalam.

Hadir sama, Timbalan CEO, Datuk Kamarudin Meranun serta CEO AirAsia X, Azran Osman-Rani.

Menurut Tony, terminal yang dibina di kawasan seluas 1,200 hektar dengan anggaran pelaburan RM1.6 bilion itu dijangka siap menjelang Mac 2011.

LCCT baru kurangkan kos 20 peratus

BERIKUT adalah transkrip soalan yang menarik pada sidang akhbar AirAsia:
Adakah kelulusan eksklusif pembinaan KLIA-East untuk AirAsia sesuatu yang luar biasa dalam industri penerbangan?

FERNANDES: Tidak kerana Bangkok Airways memiliki lapangan terbang sendiri iaitu Lapangan Terbang Koh Samui dan tidak membenarkan mana-mana syarikat penerbangan lain menggunakannya.


he forget to mention the good people of malaysia that firefly goes to koh samui...


...but oh well, what do i know about running a multi-million dollar business?

Koh Samui airport:

- Bangkok Airways
- Thai Airways International
- Firefly
- Berjaya Air

haha...kena tipu hidup2 dgn TF :lol:

http://biz.thestar.com.my/archives/2009/1/9/business/mainpictonyp1i.JPG
Datuk Seri Tony Fernandes briefing the media near the proposed site of the new low-cost carrier terminal on Thursday.

LCCT baru kurangkan kos 20 peratus



Untuk pengetahuan umum, kami juga tidak suka berpindah randah kerana ia bukan mudah untuk sebuah syarikat penerbangan. Kami pernah beroperasi di Subang dan kemudian terpaksa ke Lapangan Terbang Antarabangsa Kuala Lumpur (KLIA) kononnya untuk menyelaraskan KLIA sebagai pusat tetapi kami sekali lagi diminta keluar dari KLIA.

.

crazy:nuts::nuts::nuts::lol::lol:

^^b4 ko ckp dia crazy...im sure dorang dah buat kaji selidik/research or watever sdlm2nya b4 decide nak wat LCCTni...sure tony dah fikir pro n con sblm approve,,,
ko ingt dia cakap jom wat airport kat Labu mcmtu je ke?? his knowledge surely better than all of us...dia sure ada team of experts yg dah buat all the research...so biarla dia....
kalau x suka naik mas/firefly or apa2 ajela...

Sime's role in Labu LCCT on MSWG's radar
By Adeline Paul RajPublished: 2009/01/10

The Minority Shareholder Watchdog Group would like to see the cost benefits and whether it is good for Sime Darby to venture into an unrelated business, says its new CEO

THE Minority Shareholder Watchdog Group (MSWG) will soon make known its stand on several controversial issues, including Sime Darby Bhd's involvement in a new airport in Labu, Negri Sembilan.

"I'm looking at this (Sime Darby issue). I'd like to see the cost benefits and whether it is good for a company like Sime Darby to go venture into an unrelated business. We'll study the matter and then make a statement," its new chief executive officer, Rita Benoy Bushon, said at her first meeting with the press yesterday.

Sime Darby owns the land in Labu on which AirAsia Bhd plans to develop a RM1.6 billion low-cost carrier terminal.

According to AirAsia, Sime Darby has yet to say whether it would be an equity holder, developer or just land-seller in project.

Another issue on MSWG's radar is DRB-HICOM Bhd's purchase of land in Johor for some RM722 million. The group plans to partially pay for this by selling some plantation land, which is an income-generating asset.

Bushon said the body had written to DRB-HICOM, questioning the move and whether it may be prudent to ask for shareholders' consent since the deal is sizeable.

On her plans for MSWG, Bushon said she would strive to continue to take shareholder activism and the protection of minority interests to greater heights.

She also plans to make the body's presence felt globally, by engaging in talks, forums and roundtable discussions organised by international institutions such as the International Institute for Corporate Governance.

She said MSWG, which holds minimal shares in almost 250 companies, will initially be looking to cover 160 companies across all sectors.

Bushon is not new to the MSWG, having helped establish the institution when she was part of the Employees Provident Fund (EPF), which was a founding member. She was a director in the body from 2001 to 2007.

She had served the EPF for 23 years in various senior executive positions before leaving to join Land & General Bhd as its executive director right up till August last year.

Bushon no longer holds any directorships.

Race to secure new LCCT
09-01-2009: by Gan Yen Kuan, Doreen Leong & Pauline Puah

SEPANG: The race to secure the new permanent low-cost carrier terminal (LCCT) has started. Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB) has finalised its master plan for a new LCCT near the existing main terminal in Sepang, while AirAsia yesterday came out with more details on its proposed terminal in Labu, Negri Sembilan.

Sources said MAHB would submit its master plan to the government soon. The irony is AirAsia is part of the steering committee that finalised and approved the airport operator’s master plan, according to a source.

“The government and AirAsia are aware of the master plan, which has been finalised and approved by the steering committee. It will be submitted to the government soon,” the source said.

“In the 16 months when the master plan was being worked out, AirAsia, which is part of the steering committee, did not raise any issue on the plan. So why are issues raised outside the meeting now?” the source said.

Transport Minister Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat said yesterday the government had not made a decision on MAHB’s proposed new LCCT.

Meanwhile, AirAsia group chief executive officer Datuk Seri Tony Fernandes said yesterday the carrier would finalise the funding for its own proposed LCCT, named KLIA East@Labu, by April. The cost of the LCCT, excluding land cost, is estimated at RM1.6 billion.

The budget carrier is partnering Sime Darby Bhd to build the Labu terminal. On Monday, Sime Darby obtained the government’s nod to proceed with the project.

Fernandes also dismissed sceptics who contended that AirAsia would face problems in securing financing for KLIA East@Labu, which may result in MAHB’s proposal being carried out instead. He stressed that the Labu LCCT project “is definitely on”.

He said it was in talks with bankers, infrastructure funds and investors to work out an “optimum funding structure”. AirAsia may partly or fully own KLIA East@Labu, or may even just be a pure operator of the airport without having a stake in the asset, he said, adding that it was open to MAHB taking a stake in the Labu LCCT.

“We certainly do not see any issue in financing it. There are so many options available to us. The final structure has not been finalised yet,” Fernandes said at a media briefing here yesterday. Reporters were also brought to tour Sime Darby’s Labu estate earmarked for the development of the LCCT after the briefing.

The capital of owning 100% of the Labu LCCT is equivalent to buying 12 Airbus A320 aircraft, Fernandes said. “We think it’s better for infrastructure funds and investors to own the asset, and lease it to AirAsia. We will manage it. This is the model we are looking at.”

AirAsia deputy group CEO Kamaruddin Meranun added: “Sime Darby also has not finalised the structure — whether they will be equity holder, or developer, or just sell the land outright.”

Asked if other budget carriers would also be allowed to operate out of KLIA East@Labu, Fernandes said the approval given so far was only for AirAsia to use the LCCT.

The first phase of the development of the Labu LCCT, due to be completed in March 2011, will create a capacity of 30 million passengers per year. The capacity can be further increased to 50 million passengers, depending on AirAsia’s growth.

The existing temporary LCCT in Sepang, which is being expanded, has the capacity to handle 10 million passengers currently. After the expansion, which is scheduled to be completed in March, it can handle 15 million passengers.

Fernandes said AirAsia needed a new LCCT as there would be no more room for expansion at the existing terminal. By 2014, it would see a capacity shortfall of some 12 million passengers at the temporary LCCT. Other budget carriers that operate out of the existing LCCT are AirAsia’s sister airlines Thai AirAsia and Indonesia AirAsia, as well as Tiger Airways and Cebu Pacific.

'Kewajaran pembabitan Sime Darby diteliti'

KUALA LUMPUR 9 Jan. - Kumpulan Pengawas Pemegang Saham Minoriti (MSWG), akan meneliti kewajaran penglibatan Sime Darby Bhd. (Sime Darby) dalam projek pembinaan lapangan terbang tambang murah KLIA-East di Labu, dekat sini, untuk memastikan kepentingan pemegang saham dilindungi.

Ketua Pegawai Eksekutifnya, Rita Benoy Bushon (gambar) berkata, MSWG akan mengkaji secara mendalam perniagaan utama syarikat itu dan sama ada ia sesuai bagi syarikat itu mempelbagaikan perniagaan mereka ke dalam perniagaan ini.

''MSWG juga melihat sama ada projek itu memberikan manfaat kos kepada Sime Darby dan buat masa ini kami tidak mahu memberi sebarang penjelasan lanjut sehinggalah keputusan kajian diterima.

''MSWG akan mengeluarkan kenyataan rasmi berhubung hasil kajian sama ada projek tersebut baik kepada para pemegang saham Sime Darby dalam masa terdekat ini,'' katanya.

Beliau berkata demikian pada sidang akhbar untuk memperkenalkan dirinya sebagai Ketua Pegawai Eksekutif MSWG yang baru menggantikan Abdul Wahab Jaafar Sidek di sini hari ini.

Rita berkata demikian ketika mengulas tentang projek pembinaan lapangan terbang itu dapat memberi manfaat kepada orang ramai atau pemegang saham dalam Sime Darby.

Sebelum ini, Sime Darby dilaporkan akan membina KLIA- East dengan kos RM1.6 juta tidak termasuk harga tanah dan kemudian, menjualnya kepada AirAsia.

Tambah Rita, selain isu pembinaan KLIA-East, MSWG juga sedang mengkaji isu-isu lain termasuk pembelian tanah di Johor Bahru oleh DRB Hicom Bhd. (DRB Hicom) yang memerlukan penerangan lanjut daripada pihak pengurusan berhubung cadangan itu.

Mengulas bursa saham tempatan, Rita menjelaskan pasaran masih kukuh tetapi pada tahun ini cabaran lebih besar dan pasaran perlu berani berdepan dengan rintangan yang mendatang.

Pada sidang akhbar itu, Rita turut menerangkan visi dan perancangan MSWG pada masa hadapan untuk menjadi lebih vokal dalam menjaga kepentingan pemegang saham minoriti dan pelabur.

''MSWG juga akan membina kekuatan untuk menjadikannya lebih terkenal di peringkat global kepada pelabur dan bakal pelabur asing.

''Namun apa yang saya utamakan adalah membina kapasiti dengan meneruskan aktiviti sedia ada dan mengukuhkan program pendidikan kepada semua ahli MSWG di seluruh negara serta meningkatkan penerbitan kami,'' katanya.

Katanya, dari segi dana MSWG masih menerima dana daripada Dana Pembangunan Pasaran (CMDF) tetapi berhasrat untuk menjana perolehan melalui penjualan produk serta kaji selidik mereka.

RSP Architect the appointed architect for dis project which is also the architect 4 Naza & Menara Felda big project...

RSP Architect the appointed architect for dis project which is also the architect 4 Naza & Menara Felda big project...

No renders of LCCT yet...

www.rspkl.com

www.rsp.com.sg (see Malaysian section)

^^b4 ko ckp dia crazy...im sure dorang dah buat kaji selidik/research or watever sdlm2nya b4 decide nak wat LCCTni...sure tony dah fikir pro n con sblm approve,,,
ko ingt dia cakap jom wat airport kat Labu mcmtu je ke?? his knowledge surely better than all of us...dia sure ada team of experts yg dah buat all the research...so biarla dia....
kalau x suka naik mas/firefly or apa2 ajela...

some people against the idea of having this lcct in labu has got nothing to do with they hate air asia la....no need to give people advice to fly what airlines la...
:ohno:

u know what SP..come to think of it...i really wanna see whether this thing will materialised or not....TF ...cakap memang la senang..airport to complete by march 2011? what a joke...in bolehland.....anything can happen..kalo dah ada twin tower...why not twin airport...:nuts:

Takpa chek, jom kita semua lupakan ja KLIA & taruh harapan baru kat LCCT Labu supaya LCCT baru ni boleh tarik lebih ramai penumpang dari Changi & Suvarnabhumi .

Takpa chek, jom kita semua lupakan ja KLIA & taruh harapan baru kat LCCT Labu supaya LCCT baru ni boleh tarik lebih ramai penumpang dari Changi & Suvarnabhumi .

from 26million..will go down all the way back to 15million...:)

I see this project as the biggest wastage of Malaysian taxpayer money in my lifetime. Privately funded? Yes, privately funded my ass - how on earth would passengers are going to get to the MYR 1.6 billion terminal building which will be built by Sime Darby in the middle of an oil palm estate without the government having to spent billion of MYR for infrastructures leading to it, road/rail etc? On the contrary, everything has been in place in KLIA.

Even Sime Darby is a GLC, meaning the 'private' status of the entity can be questioned *snap* just like that.

It's sheer stupidity combined with scrapulous greediness, sacrificing the nation's strategic interest over personal. Quoting Senior Minister Lee Kwan Yew, "I would rather see Singapore Airlines die rather than see Changi lose its status as an important hub."

But in Malaysia, the former Premier 1 airport, the current Premier 1 airport, the future Premier 1 airport - and to make it more absurd, all the airports are located side by side. It doesn't make any sense at all. I think if this Labu Airport is proposed somewhere in Northern KL (Rawang for example), the objection won't be so apparent.

I think anyone who support this project is either dumb or retard. Period.

off topic, skyprince, hang ada cakap AA lagi murah dr MAS kan? mmg betul (literally) tp, cuma nko tgk ni...

aku survey booking ke HK dgn my brother on April. and look at the differences...so, which one is 'more value for the money'?

http://img264.imageshack.us/img264/407/untitlaetweted1ms1.jpg

http://img262.imageshack.us/img262/6508/91296830oz2.jpg

^^

Of course Air Asia .

Brand-new Airbus, boleh order banyak makanan,

Ish semalam aku baru book tiket HK-KL dengan Air Asia , 770 HKD

from 26million..will go down all the way back to 15million...:)



Eh, berapa banyak bezanya tax yang Air Asia bayar sekarang ni kat LCCT dibandingkan dengan KLIA dulu ek ? Aku rasa semua orang meloncat hepi kalau Air Asia dapat pindahkan semua penumpang antarabangsa ke KLIA MTB , boleh nampak sesak siket

Eh, berapa banyak bezanya tax yang Air Asia bayar sekarang ni kat LCCT dibandingkan dengan KLIA dulu ek ? Aku rasa semua orang meloncat hepi kalau Air Asia dapat pindahkan semua penumpang antarabangsa ke KLIA MTB , boleh nampak sesak siket

airport tax on KLIA

international - MTB = RMr45/65, LCCT = RM35
domestic - MTB = ?? LCCT = RM 6

which gives more value? that's up to u...

^^

jadi cuma beza RM 10 ? Kalau setakat RM 10..... aku secara peribadi lebih rela bayar RM 10 tu untuk menyesakkan KLIA & dapatkan kemudahan moden kat situ berbanding LCCT.

KLIA kalau nak jadik hub for LCC should not charge that high. aduhh....

btw, even Jakarta (soekarho-hatta) pun ada master plan yang cantik...

http://www.angkasapura2.co.id/images/peta/BSH.jpg

jangan nanti KLIA dah kalah dgn Changi, suvarnabhumi, at last...kalah dgn SHIA pulak...

jangan nanti KLIA dah kalah dgn Changi, suvarnabhumi, at last...kalah dgn SHIA pulak...

No offence, but SHIA will surely big airport in terms of volume in 20 years time. Just imagine if the population of Greater Jakarta is affluent enough to fly. A good example in this context is Guangzhou in China. Domestic travellers rocks!

I think their volume now is already higher than KLIA.

You know if MH were smart they'd aggressively tap into the Indonesian market, and bring their passengers to wherever in the world through KLIA.

Currently SQ is doing this at Jakarta, especially now since GA (Garuda) is banned from entering Europe.

I think their volume now is already higher than KLIA.

You know if MH were smart they'd aggressively tap into the Indonesian market, and bring their passengers to wherever in the world through KLIA.

Currently SQ is doing this at Jakarta, especially now since GA (Garuda) is banned from entering Europe.

nope, it is not SQ is doing that in jakarta, but Garuda is doing that in changi...

^^

jadi cuma beza RM 10 ? Kalau setakat RM 10..... aku secara peribadi lebih rela bayar RM 10 tu untuk menyesakkan KLIA & dapatkan kemudahan moden kat situ berbanding LCCT.

plus all the taxes are included in the ticket price. so what's important is the ticket price.... and the associated value.

nope, it is not SQ is doing that in jakarta, but Garuda is doing that in changi...

You mean GA fly to Changi and bring people back to Jakarta onward to their next destination?

Eh, berapa banyak bezanya tax yang Air Asia bayar sekarang ni kat LCCT dibandingkan dengan KLIA dulu ek ? Aku rasa semua orang meloncat hepi kalau Air Asia dapat pindahkan semua penumpang antarabangsa ke KLIA MTB , boleh nampak sesak siket

even if the tax is being lowered....AK will stind find ways to off set it later on...wats up with the administration fees by the way? RM25 right?

nah...i'm still happy with them at LCCT...very straight forward procedure...check in...walk a bit..then boarding..depart...land..kalas...

i don understand y Malaysian like to argue issues in the country, building a lcct also got so many ppl argue :bash:

You mean GA fly to Changi and bring people back to Jakarta onward to their next destination?

yup, Changi is GA hub after SHIA.

NST interview w/ TF:
* they want their own runaway
* they want their own airport
* LCCT sucks big time; ie no good connectivity from MTB to LCCT
* Labu will be paid from airasia, including government operators ??
* firefly can operate from subang but i can't? this is BS!!
* the hub is KL not, KLIA!!
* Hubs?? airasia is the hub!!

http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/NST/Monday/National/2450577/Article/index_html

AirAsia hit turbulence over its plan for a purpose-built airport in Labu, Negri Sembilan. CEO Datuk Tony Fernandes tells DAVID YEOW that having its own terminal is the only way to accommodate the budget airline’s growth

Q: What's the story behind Air-Asia's plan to build its own low-cost carrier terminal (LCCT) in Labu?
A: AirAsia has had three moves; it's not something we enjoy doing. We've gone from operating in Subang to the main terminal at Kuala Lumpur International Airport and then to the LCCT in Sepang, all in the space of seven years. Most airlines don't move in their lifetime.

At each stage, the move was prompted by capacity. When we were operating from KLIA, Ma-laysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB) could see that we were going to outgrow the main terminal quickly.

But this is something a lot of people don't understand, because when they go to KLIA, it looks empty. So the question people always ask is, why doesn't AirAsia just stay at the main terminal?

If you count all the parking bays or aerobridges at the main terminal and its satellite, there are only 55 bays. That's insufficient for AirAsia's entire fleet, let alone in combination with those of Malaysia Airlines and others.

So, MAHB said they would look for a new facility, which led to the current LCCT in Sepang. We were assured by MAHB that we would have good connectivity and low charges, which were the main thing.

We went in March 2006. But as soon as we got there, we began to outgrow the capacity. So, we were concerned because the next spurt of growth, which would be coming from AirAsia X (the airline's long-haul affiliate), would be scotched if we didn't have the facilities.

Our prediction is that if we continue to operate from the LCCT, by 2011 it would be 4.5 million short in passenger capacity. Already with the current LCCT, we are running by a million passengers short and it's a nightmare.

So we started scouting around for land to build a new LCCT.

Our first option was with MAHB, but then there was the issue of who would finance it. We said, let's try to do it ourselves this time so the process wouldn't be so slow.

The principal cause of moving to Labu was our fear of MAHB's inability to build a terminal in time. 2011 is fast approaching and we can't afford a delay because a lot of our planes have been bought. We definitely need a bigger place.

We looked at 13 sites outside KLIA, and stumbled on Sime Darby's Central Vision Valley project. Subang would have been my ideal choice,

I've been a broken record about it. But a lot of the land has been sold, so we abandoned that.

Q: People are concerned that the move to Labu would make the distance longer and connectivity a bigger headache. Is this true?
A: I see the LCCT at Labu as KLIA-East, and not another airport. It's just 8.6km from KLIA, about the same distance from Terminal Five to Terminal One at London's Hea-throw airport.

And in a strange way, due to the geography of the land, it's actually closer to Kuala Lumpur. It is 58km from KLCC, compared with 78km to KLIA from the city.

It's just off the Nilai highway interchange and is also well connected by rail. It's actually an easier airport to get to.

Q: KLIA serves about 25 million passengers a year. KLIA-East can serve up to 50 million annually. What would you say to detractors who see KLIA-East as undermining KLIA's role as the nation's premier airport?
A: It's two business models. Ours is a low-cost airline, theirs caters to the premium airlines.

I guess we also have to look at where Malaysia is going. Does everything need to be in one place?

At the end of the day, with good connectivity, we are making Kuala Lumpur the hub. We are serving the Kuala Lumpur tourism market.

Clearly we have established the need for a new terminal. The question now is, should it be at KLIA or somewhere else?

It's a perfect scenario here. We have a massive piece of land adjoining KLIA, which can meet the needs of an airline that was not there when the KLIA master plan was conceived.

There was no such thing as a low-cost airline in Malaysia back then. We came out of nowhere.

Q: Why not use the proposed new expanded LCCT at KLIA, which MAHB now promises to complete at about the same time in 2011 as the one in Labu?
A: Prior to us coming out with the proposal to build KLIA-East, there was no such plan mentioned to us. The only plan MAHB talked about was offering us the terminal opposite the main one at KLIA at a cost of RM2.9 billion, which is substantially more than what we have budgeted for.

And on top of that, we wouldn't have our own runway.

On the actual date of completion for MAHB's LCCT, we heard that it's fluctuating between 2012 and 2014. This is despite the press release that states it would be completed by the end of 2011.

That caused me panic. You're talking about our bread and butter. What am I going to do with all the planes?

Furthermore, we looked at the site MAHB is considering -- we had considered it ourselves initially -- and became concerned about the condition of the soil there.

It's swamp land. The treatment of that soil would take a long time before you can start building.

And MAHB's plan did not mention a runway. They talked about a runway at some stage, without further details. They also didn't give details about the cost of the new LCCT, which is crucial to us because someone has to pay for that terminal and that someone is AirAsia.

We have been complaining that we have been overcharged and it doesn't look like things will change if we continue with MAHB.

Airport charges are fundamental to us. How costly the building of an airport is will result in how expensive the airport charge is.

On the other hand, AirAsia is confident that it can build KLIA-East for less than RM1.6 billion, including our own runway, and complete it in the next two years.

If we have our own runway next to our terminal, we can cut our operational costs, including environmental benefits from less fuel burn.

Since MAHB's announcement, we, as their biggest customer, have yet to get a phone call or word from them saying "let's talk".

Q: Is any sort of government loan involved in KLIA-East?
A: It's going to be completely privately financed and AirAsia is ready to undertake it. The cost would probably be less then RM1.5 billion, probably RM1.3 billion, roughly the price of 10 Airbuses.

We have been inundated with calls from investors. So we are confident of this. Even if we have to take it up in our own balance sheet, we can easily finance this because the returns on the project are good and there are a lot of people who want to finance it.

In terms of ownership, I think it's too early to say who will own KLIA-East. We might take it up or we might enter into a sale-and-lease agreement with interested parties.

Q: With your new LCCT based in Labu, some people are concerned that you are disrupting the government's plan for KLIA as an international airline hub.
A: Again it's a myth. The hub is not KLIA. The hub is Kuala Lumpur.

In the United Kingdom, no one talks about the hub being in Heathrow and everything having to be built around it. The hub is London and there are five airports around it to serve different segments of the population.

When we talk about KLIA as the hub, what are we talking about?

The truth is, there is no connectivity between the current LCCT and KLIA that is worth getting excited about.

A hub offers the ability to change airlines with a minimum of hassle and a maximum of connectivity. It's impossible to do that at the main terminal. You cannot fly in to KLIA and change to AirAsia without going through Immigration and Customs.

The KLIA hub that we think we have has been destroyed in that respect. And don't get me started on the connectivity between KLIA and LCCT.

A person flying in from the UK would have to get his luggage, check out of Immigration, pass Customs and take a bus or taxi to take a flight via AirAsia.

I rate the bus service as one of the worst in the world for airport connectivity. It's badly managed and doesn't run on time.

Or you can take a taxi, which costs you about RM45 to get from KLIA to LCCT. You call that connectivity? You call that a hub?

But why is only AirAsia being accused of undermining the KLIA hub?

What about FireFly and their plans to bring in one million passengers to Subang Airport? Shouldn't someone argue that the one million passengers should be sent to KLIA?

Q: But if AirAsia moves into MAHB's new LCCT at KLIA, wouldn't that make it a hub? Wouldn't it be better for the country for AirAsia to move there instead?
A: One reason why we started AirAsia X is because the connectivity at KLIA is poor. There are not that many international connections.

That's why we thought that if we don't do something, we are going to lose out because Tiger Airways (a Singapore competitor) has all the benefits of Changi airport.

Malaysia only has two European connections, Lufthansa and KLM (Royal Dutch Airlines), and maybe five Gulf airlines.

We were scared. That's why we started AirAsia X. And now we can say we have passengers from Australia who connect with us. Eighteen per cent of passengers from AirAsia's foreign connections stay in Malaysia, while the rest use us to connect elsewhere. By March 2011, we will have flights to London, Japan and the Gulf.

In other words, AirAsia has become a hub by itself. You can put us in the new MAHB-proposed LCCT and there still wouldn't be any on-site connectivity.

We might be at KLIA but we are still situated at the terminal opposite the main airport. No link, no connectivity, hub destroyed.

If we can focus on Kuala Lumpur as the hub, I dare say we could be bigger than Changi by 2013, when we collectively serve up to 55 million passengers a year.

Where in anyone's dreams would KL the hub beat Changi? And yet it is near to realisation. The reality to all my fellow Malaysians is, that's income coming into the country.

Q: What about accusations of wastage? That the government has spent all that money building the current LCCT and now we need to build another one, possibly two.
A: There's no way AirAsia can remain at the existing facility. Something needs to be built.

It's set that we have to build a new terminal. Whether we build it in KLIA or Labu, it has to be built, so there's no money wasted there.

Then you say there are two runways at KLIA, we should maximise them first. But MAHB has said that eventually there is a need for a third runway, and guess what we are doing? We are building it now and it's only 7km from the existing two.

There is no wastage. Nothing unnecessary is being built.

The only duplication I would say is the tower. Because of the distance of the new runway from KLIA, we need our own air traffic control tower.

We will finance the construction of the tower, not the government. Department of Civil Aviation officials will have to man it, but we will also pay their income.

Q: There has been a lot of negative public perception of this project. People are suspicious of the way the project was approved by the cabinet. People are wondering why Sime Darby, a huge government-linked company, is coming in. The blogs are rife about you benefiting from cronyism.
A: I have responded to many of the allegations on the blogs themselves. I have nothing to hide.

We are a very negative nation. I think we live in a wonderful country though it's not perfect.

But the bad thing is, Malaysians have this bad habit of stereotyping successful people.

AirAsia has worked really hard for all that we have for the last seven years, without any handout.

Let's look at this situation and the potential cronyism.

Sime Darby is a public-listed company. Everything is open, it's all public accounts. It's transparent, everything is an open book.

AirAsia is now negotiating aggressively with them on the terms of KLIA-East, no different from how we negotiate with MAHB or anyone.

As for the cabinet decision, we put in the proposal six months ago. It's only now that the information has come out. It wasn't an on-a-whim decision. The government doesn't do things like that.

Even Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng is asking us not to build the new LCCT in Labu but in Penang. If we are cronies, then why is the opposition asking us to do that? It took me seven years to get the KL-Singapore route. If I was a crony, would I have to wait that long?

We are basing the terminal in Labu for many reasons and one of them is the potential of bringing more development to Negri Sembilan and Malacca.

The government has been talking about its economic stimulus package, but the government alone cannot be responsible for stimulating the economy.

By building KLIA-East, we are creating jobs and pumping money into the country. Sime Darby has an amazing plan for its Central Vision Valley project.

KLIA-East can be the first purpose-built low-cost airport in the world. We can radicalise the passenger experience. No one has done that.

ermm after reading this... TF got points there.... i think MAHB screwed up themselves.

PROPOSAL TO MAHB

LCCT should remain at current site. Capacity expansion of up to 60mn pax p.a. by converting neighbouring cargo terminals (i.e. KLAS and MASKargo) for passenger use. Shuttle bus to link LCCT and MTB (providing the all-important 'airside' connection between the two passenger terminals)
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/207/472147380_6784a4a188_o.jpg

Cargo complex to be shifted to a new larger permanent site in KLIA Southwest quadrant (comprising cargo complex, free zone and runway). The Southwest quadrant caters exclusively for 'non-passenger' activities
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/211/472147386_c681ad6ff2_o.jpg

Rail infrastructure to be extended to link all terminals/facilities as well as the upcoming airport city (along Jalan Pekeliling)
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/182/377129157_e78eadfdf7_o.jpg

THE FOURTH AIRPORT

By
Dr. Mahathir Mohamad
on January 12, 2009 4:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)

1. Now we know that the proposal to build a new airport at Labu is not a rumour. It is for real. Seems it is going to be a Private Financial Initiative - i.e. Government is not going to put up the money.

2. The site is 10 kilometers from KLIA. I had some experience of landing a small jet plane, so I can speak with a little knowledge. The approach speed of a big jet is between 300 to 400 kph. or it would cover the 10km in slightly less than 2 minutes.

3. The statement says that initially there would be no runway. That means the aircraft would land at KLIA.

4. Will the plane taxi 10km to Labu to disembark the passengers, pick up new passenger and then taxi 10km to the runway in KLIA to take off?

5. To do this it would need a special highway separated from other roads and highway. It would be interesting for the locals and tourists to see the huge planes taxiing 10km across the countryside.

6. Later a new runway would be built at Labu - must be at least 2km long - bringing it even nearer to KLIA. Wonder in which direction the plane will take off. What if a plane is landing or taking off from Sepang KLIA at the same time as as Labu. Only two minutes would separate the planes--not much time to take evasive action. I suppose planes taking off or landing simultaneously at KLIA and Labu must have great pilots and powerful engines to avoid accidents.

7. Remember that each airport would have its own control tower. Do they coordinate? I wonder.

8. May be it would be possible to bus the passengers from KLIA to Labu vis a vis if no runway is to be built in Labu. The Labu terminal would have to clear the incoming and outgoing passengers. So the KL passengers would to able to sightsee as the buses take them to Labu and then to KLIA. Coming back they would take the bus to Labu from KLIA and then to KL.

9. Since this is going to be a private financing initiative, the custom, immigration and other officers will all be paid by the operator of the new airport. No Government money involved. This would be the epitome of privatisation.

10. The land for the airport belongs to Sime Darby. So airport development and operation will be included in its portfolio.

11. Incidentally Sime Darby has also taken over the land at Telaga Harbour in Langkawi. LADA had to tell several potential developers to forget it. You do not mess around with Sime Darby. It is as good as Government.

12. Since I am the adviser to the Langkawi Development naturally my advice was not required.

13. Till today nothing has been done by Sime Darby to develop Telaga Harbour. There is a proposal to construct a floating platform for a museum in the harbor.

14. The turning basin for the mega yacht is already small. The floating platform would reduce the size of the harbor with the consequences that I need not mention.

15. I felt like shouting "Long Live Sime Darby!". It will become the biggest and most diversified of Malaysian corporations. We can all be very proud of it.

yup, Changi is GA hub after SHIA.

Not true ....


International Hub of GA in Indonesia is Bali (Denpasar) which in much more frequent international flight than Jakarta has... Currently serving almost 7 million annual pax (no doubt, most of them are international flight).

And for domestic hub, It's surely Surabaya is the 2nd largest (9 million annual pax). And Makassar as the 3rd largest (only 4.5 million). Not a hub but getting many direct flights to Sumatran cities is Medan with 5 million annual pax.

No wonder, 85% or more GA flights are domestic.

And, SHIA pax traffic in 2007 was 34 million.

Not true ....


International Hub of GA in Indonesia is Bali (Denpasar) which in much more frequent international flight than Jakarta has... Currently serving almost 7 million annual pax (no doubt, most of them are international flight).

And for domestic hub, It's surely Surabaya is the 2nd largest (9 million annual pax). And Makassar as the 3rd largest (only 4.5 million). Not a hub but getting many direct flights to Sumatran cities is Medan with 5 million annual pax.

No wonder, 85% or more GA flights are domestic.

And, SHIA pax traffic in 2007 was 34 million.

but Changi too is GA hub, right? but im not sure for which route

Govt to study MAHB airport plan
By Presenna NambiarPublished: 2009/01/13

TRANSPORT Minister Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat will study the National Airport Masterplan submitted by Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB) this week.

Of interest will be how the new airport in Labu proposed by AirAsia will gel with the master plan, initiated in July 2007 to set the direction for the future development of airports and the aviation infrastructure in the country.

"I will be going through the master plan submitted by MAHB in the next few days, so let's take it one step at a time," Ong told reporters yesterday.

The minister was asked if AirAsia's proposed new airport would be going against the government's plan to make Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) in Sepang into an aviation hub.

The study was recently completed and includes a plan to build a permanent low-cost carrier terminal (LCCT) in KLIA by 2011.

If AirAsia goes ahead with the new airport, KLIA will have one LCCT, while AirAsia will have its own airport in Labu from which it will operate.

Currently, AirAsia makes up more than 90 per cent of the traffic going through the current LCCT. Only two other low-cost carriers use the terminal, with a combined traffic of around 140,000 passengers so far.

Ong said the Transport Ministry was only involved in the technical issues of AirAsia's proposal, which involves complying with international requirements on air traffic control.

"As to the suitability of this project, the ministry does not have the ultimate say. It was a collective decision. More so because this (the airport in Labu) is a privatised project, and that does not come under the purview of the Transport Ministry," Ong said.

Which ministry gave the approval in the first place? The Finance Ministry?

Because it seems quite clear that the Transport Ministry has some doubts, at least basing on Ong's statements.

Approval for Nilai LCCT given by all parties, says Tee Keat


KUALA LUMPUR: Approval for the new low-cost carrier terminal in Nilai, Negri Sembilan, was given by all the relevant parties, Transport Minister Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat said.

He said questions about the suitability of the KLIA East@Labu project was not for the Transport Ministry to answer solely. “The ministry does not have the ultimate or entire say. It is a collective decision.

“Furthermore, it is a privatised project. It never came under the ministry,” he said after launching the MCA ICT Resource Centre Micro-Finance Expo here yesterday.

Ong was asked about the RM1.6bil joint venture between Sime Darby and AirAsia. He said some people assumed that he had the authority to approve the project when he started talking about future air traffic projections.

Ong clarified that questions about the new project being at odds with the KL International Airport Masterplan should be directed to the Finance Ministry. “Government-linked companies come under the Finance Ministry.

“And as far as the masterplan is concerned, this has yet to be endorsed as it is just the outcome of a study commissioned by Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad,” he said.

On the close proximity of the KLIA East@Labu airport to the KLIA and the LCCT, Ong said geographical distance was a separate matter as far as International Civil Aviation Organisation compliance was concerned.

“It will not be a problem.”

Perlukah ada dua LCCT?

Oleh Cynthia Yeoh

TINDAKAN kerajaan membenarkan pembinaan Terminal Penerbangan Tambang Murah (LCCT) yang baru di Labu, Negeri Sembilan menimbulkan banyak tanda tanya dan dilihat sebagai tidak bijak.

Persoalan yang ada, perlukah sebuah lagi hab penerbangan diwujudkan apabila lokasinya terletak hanya 10 kilometer daripada kemudahan sedia ada milik kerajaan.

Lagipun, pelan penstrukturan kewangan Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd. (MAHB) yang diluluskan kerajaan baru-baru ini, telahpun membolehkan syarikat itu meneruskan cadangan pembangunan LCCT baru yang didakwa AirAsia Bhd., pengendali penerbangan tambang murah, sebagai lambat dilaksanakan.

Pelan itu juga menyaksikan pengendali lapangan terbang tersebut juga akan menaik taraf LCCT sedia ada di Lapangan Terbang Antarabangsa Kuala Lumpur (KLIA), Sepang.

Kegagalan pengendali lapangan terbang itu menyaingi keperluan AirAsia sebelum ini lebih dilihat sebagai kekangannya sebagai sebuah syarikat milik kerajaan selain kepesatan syarikat penerbangan tambang murah yang berlaku terlalu cepat dan di luar jangkaan.

Kewujudan dua buah LCCT yang mempunyai fungsi yang hampir sama kecuali satunya menjadi pusat eksklusif untuk AirAsia, bakal menafikan usaha negara untuk menjadikan KLIA hab penerbangan.

Tambahan pula, KLIA hanya mengendalikan 25 juta penumpang setahun sekali gus mempunyai ruang untuk dipergunakan sepenuhnya oleh AirAsia.

Sehubungan itu, hanya satu LCCT wajar diwujudkan di KLIA yang kini menyaksikan RM10 bilion dibelanjakan, selepas beberapa lokasi dan LCCT baru dipertimbangkan yang dijangka siap dalam tempoh tiga tahun untuk menyediakan penyambungan dengan pembinaan kos yang munasabah.

Namun begitu, sehingga kini, tiada penjelasan diberikan oleh kerajaan kecuali pengumuman demi pengumuman yang dilakukan oleh AirAsia dan juga Sime Darby Bhd., yang dikatakan pencadang kepada LCCT kedua itu. Persoalannya cukupkah pertimbangan diberikan hanya kerana ia adalah inisiatif swasta.

AirAsia juga pernah mendakwa pihaknya dikehendaki membayar caj penerbangan yang tinggi padahal AirAsia telah diberikan pengecualian ke atas bayaran caj tersebut (tidak termasuk Caj Perkhidmatan Penumpang (PSC)) selama lima tahun sejak perpindahan syarikat penerbangan tambang murah itu dari lapangan terbang Subang ke KLIA pada 2002.

Timbul persoalan mengapa AirAsia membuat dakwaan demikian walaupun tidak perlu membayar satu sen pun untuk menjalankan operasi penerbangan domestik dan antarabangsa di KLIA sedangkan MAHB pula mendiamkan diri selama ini?

Sebenarnya, bayaran yang dikenakan oleh MAHB adalah lebih rendah dan diberikan potongan diskaun berbanding lapangan-lapangan terbang lain di negara-negara jiran, demikian menurut MAHB dalam kenyataan yang dikeluarkan baru-baru ini.

Sememangnya benar pembinaan awal LCCT bukan melibatkan duit rakyat tetapi kebimbangan terhadap penglibatan kerajaan dalam operasi terminal itu sama ada langsung atau tidak langsung.

Keadaan itu bukan hanya dilihat sebagai mendatangkan pembaziran terhadap wang rakyat tetapi juga menimbulkan dakwaan ketidakcekapan kerajaan dalam membuat keputusan dalam merancang kewangan.

Justeru, tindakan kerajaan dikatakan memberikan satu 'tamparan' kepada MAHB, pengendali LCCT sedia ada di Sepang sekali gus mengelirukan pelbagai pihak.

Mungkinkah, MAHB gagal untuk menjangka impak AirAsia terhadap industri ini. Namun pengendali lapangan terbang itu menyatakan mereka bukan tidak dapat memenuhi keperluan AirAsia tetapi sebaliknya mengikut model perniagaan syarikat penerbangan tambang murah itu.

Benarkah AirAsia dikatakan terlalu gelojoh! Mungkin mereka juga betul kerana cadangan MAHB, terminal LCCT baru di KLIA yang akan siap pada 2014 hanya sekadar mampu menampung 15 juta penumpang manakala KLIA-East pula dapat menampung 30 juta penumpang dengan 70 tempat letak pesawat.

Paling aneh, di sebalik Kajian Pelan Induk Lapangan Terbang Negara yang diwakili oleh semua pihak terbabit, bagaimana pula perkara ini boleh berlaku.

Sekiranya Sime Darby dan AirAsia meneruskan pelaksanaan projek KLIA-East maka MAHB boleh menanggung kerugian besar dan berdepan dengan risiko kehilangan pendapatan dalam jangka pendek apabila operasi di Labu bermula.

Kelulusan yang diberikan kerajaan untuk pembukaan terminal baru di Labu juga bakal memberikan tekanan kepada harga saham MAHB.

Dalam jangka masa panjang, reputasi MAHB dalam industri berkenaan dilihat tidak begitu memberangsangkan dan memberi kesan yang buruk berikutan kegagalan memenuhi kepuasan AirAsia.

Secara keseluruhannya, pembinaan terminal baru perlu diperjelaskan kewajarannya oleh kerajaan supaya tiada pihaknya menanggung kerugian.

Which ministry gave the approval in the first place? The Finance Ministry?

Because it seems quite clear that the Transport Ministry has some doubts, at least basing on Ong's statements.

^^ Ong is quiet a doggy characters...he is the one who said that the goverment have given a go ahead with the project before...now he is changing his story and said colective opinionlah,he has no powerlah and blah blah blah

^^b4 ko ckp dia crazy...im sure dorang dah buat kaji selidik/research or watever sdlm2nya b4 decide nak wat LCCTni...sure tony dah fikir pro n con sblm approve,,,
ko ingt dia cakap jom wat airport kat Labu mcmtu je ke?? his knowledge surely better than all of us...dia sure ada team of experts yg dah buat all the research...so biarla dia....
kalau x suka naik mas/firefly or apa2 ajela...

^^ rizal read the statement that i quote before giving out your comment, i was refering that he was FORCE to leave MTB to the LCCT...if you remember correctly TF is the one who insisted to moved out.....now isn't that crazy:nuts:

furthermore i really don't care about KUL being a hub or what and normally i will welcome any investment by the private sector but KLIA had cost us the tax payer RM10 billion,that about half the cost to built putrajaya,and we are still subsidizing KLIA operation for RM1billion a year....now how much more do we need to pay to realize TF crazy dream....sure he got lots of expert,but they only care for their own company profit..not the actual cost that will be borne by the goverment.....i don't think that TF will pay for the salaries of the control tower employee,how about the fuel depot and does he really pemurah to actually pay for the KTM and ERL extension or even the road that will lead to his dream terminal?

here's from airasia website justifying why they need labu

http://www.airasia.com/site/my/en/pageWithMenu.jsp?name=The%20Justification&id=c9ff031f-7f000010-53aed400-87560b32&rootId=c9da1d60-7f000010-53aed400-530af71a&parentId=c9ff031f-7f000010-53aed400-87560b32

some cool graphs to dazzle you all....

here's what airasia now...

http://www.airasia.com/storage/bo/aaportal.model.ContentFileUpload/cddf5a87-7f000010-10e284f0-72490769/name/labu_graph1.gif

here what's they will be in 2013

http://www.airasia.com/storage/bo/aaportal.model.ContentFileUpload/cddf5aa5-7f000010-10e284f0-35bdae75/name/labu_graph2.gif

whether it'd be true in the future not... it's not ours to see to see

he
http://www.airasia.com/storage/bo/aaportal.model.ContentFileUpload/cddf5aa5-7f000010-10e284f0-35bdae75/name/labu_graph2.gif

whether it'd be true in the future not... it's not ours to see to see


hey where is MAS? You mean by 2013 they will go bust or not grow their passengers above 25mil (now is 15mil).

^^ya lor...where is MAS???:nuts::nuts:

Why AirAsia wants its own airport
By Doreen Leong
Email us your feedback at fd@bizedge.com


AirAsia Bhd is undeniably the champion of low-fare travel not only in Malaysia but also the region. The emergence of AirAsia has benefited not only consumers via its low air fares, but also the country in terms of tourism.
If not for low-cost carriers (LCCs) such as AirAsia, full-fledged carriers would not be compelled to reduce fares. Now, even Malaysian Airline System Bhd (MAS) offers low fares.
Competition has resulted in marginal price differences for certain competing routes between the two airlines although the services offered are vastly different. But at the end of the day, fares are cheaper as a whole and more people get to fly.
That is the reality of the modern-day airline business. The landscape has changed so much that airlines now want to have their own airports in a bid to further lower costs.
This is what AirAsia's group CEO Datuk Seri Tony Fernandes has in mind. Having won many battles — which include domestic rationalisation, lower airport charges and gaining entry into the closed KL-Singapore route — he now wants to operate an airport.
The reason is easy to fathom — so that AirAsia can control and reduce its airport costs. Any cost savings can be passed on to the customer to further cut fares. This effectively gives AirAsia an advantage, which would help it ward off its competitors. Also, an airport with a separate runway and control towers will improve the turnaround time which, in turn, means more revenue for AirAsia.
Can anyone blame the airline for wanting all these?
But having said that, AirAsia is already enjoying incentives offered by Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB). For instance, to facilitate the airline's move to KLIA from Subang Airport in 2002, all its aeronautical charges, except the passenger service charge (PSC), were waived.
Even so, the PSC for international flights — which is borne by the passenger — at the low-cost carrier terminal (LCCT) is RM25, way below the RM45 charged at the main terminal of KLIA and other international airports, regardless of the size and facilities available.
The waiver given to AirAsia was for 2002 to 2007 and was not only applicable to the LCCT in Sepang, but also all other airports in Malaysia where AirAsia operated. The waiver covered all domestic and international flights, including landing, parking, aerobridge and check-in counter charges. The budget carrier also enjoyed special rent rates for office space at all airports.
But all these incentives ended in 2007. Any increase in cost will eat into AirAsia's margins, especially when the airline has had to contend with record high fuel prices last year.
AirAsia thus wants to operate its own airport to keep its costs low, which was the argument Fernandes offered a group of journalists at the company's headquarters in Sepang recently.
The main point of contention was projecting the cost and the time required to complete a new LCCT. Fernandes says AirAsia will be able to build a permanent LCCT to cater for its needs at half the cost of MAHB's proposed permanent LCCT.
AirAsia's proposed LCCT, to be built together with Sime Darby Bhd, is estimated to cost RM1.6 billion, excluding the cost of land. MAHB has not revealed the proposed cost of its permanent LCCT at KLIA. However, previous estimates put it at RM3.8 billion. Fernandes says there are many interested investors, including infrastructure funds, willing to fund the project. He expects the funding and equity structure to be finalised by April.
Considering the expenditure of some RM100 million that AirAsia supposedly incurs in aero*nautical charges currently, the proposition should find some suitors, especially funds sitting on excess cash and willing to accept returns of 8% to 10%.
However, analysts remain sceptical. They are not convinced private investors will be keen on the airport project due to the huge risks involved, especially in a slowing economy and tight credit market. At least, not until a funding structure has been worked out and finalised.
On the other hand, MAHB — under pressure from the KLIA East proposal — could be forced to pare down the final cost of its proposed permanent LCCT site at KLIA, Aseambankers says in a recent note.
Another analyst concurs. "If AirAsia can build an airport with the capacity to handle 30 million passengers annually by 2011, I believe MAHB can too and will be more financially prepared to do so.
"To be noted is that major shareholders of AirAsia could not secure funding to privatise AirAsia last year, which costs much less than RM1.6 billion. This raises the question of whether they are able to secure funding for an airport," says the analyst.
Also, the airport business, like other infrastructure, is long term in nature and has a long gestation period. "It will take more than eight years before real returns are realised. There are better alternatives to running an airport," the analyst says.
According to HwangDBS, it does not make sense for AirAsia and Sime Darby Bhd to build a new LCCT in Labu, given that it requires the companies to build a whole new facility.
"It makes more economical sense to ride existing facilities (such as the runway and the oil tank farm) at KLIA. Sime Darby and AirAsia's plan to build their own LCCT may take longer than expected — more than two years. We believe the main hurdle for AirAsia is obtaining more funding for the construction of the new airport (on top of its funding needs for its fleet expansion)," the research house adds.
HwangDBS believes that MAHB will continue to build as planned in an effort to cater for AirAsia's fast-growing number of passengers.
Apart from cost, AirAsia points out that the present LCCT in Sepang will not be able to cope with AirAsia's traffic growth. By 2013, AirAsia and its long-haul budget carrier AirAsia X will handle a total of 60 million passengers annually and have a total of 184 aircraft.
Fernandes says there will be insufficient runway capacity at KLIA to cope with the number of peak-hour aircraft movements that will result from operating the large fleet.
"The key thing is we cannot slow down our growth because we have bought aircraft and we need a bigger terminal. We are building for 30 million passengers and we should be supported," he says
Fernandes also laments the lack of connectivity, rail connection and bus services. In short, KLIA East is, in AirAsia's view, the best option as it meets all the criteria — cost efficiency, good connectivity, efficient layout and readily available land.
Suffice it to say that the race to operate a new LCCT is on. Incumbent MAHB and Air*Asia have every reason to want their proposals accepted by the government.
When news that AirAsia wanted to build an airport broke, many viewed it with scepticism. But after Sime Darby got the Cabinet's approval, it was no longer a laughing matter. The next few months are crucial for AirAsia and Fernandes. If they can secure the financing, there would probably be no stopping KLIA East, unless the powers that be decide otherwise.

hey where is MAS? You mean by 2013 they will go bust or not grow their passengers above 25mil (now is 15mil).

AirAsia killed MAS by 2013... hahaha

^^ya lor...where is MAS???:nuts::nuts:

merge dgn air asia kut :D

^^^ taklah dah re-merge dengan SIA

http://www.airasia.com/nl/images/2009/KLIAE_pic.gif

Dear Valued Guest,

We at AirAsia and AirAsia X appreciate your patronage in choosing us for your travel. As a regular user of the Low-Cost Carrier Terminal (LCCT) in Sepang, we have heard your concerns and complaints about the cramped facilities at the LCCT. Many of you may not be aware that the terminal is owned, operated and managed NOT by AirAsia but by Malaysia Airport Holdings Bhd., a government-linked company.

To help serve you even better, AirAsia – together with Sime Darby Bhd. – proposed to the government that we be allowed to construct and operate a new terminal to cater to the airline’s exponential growth. The Cabinet approved our request for the new terminal – KLIA-East, or as we like to call it, The Rakyat’s Terminal – to be located just a short distance from the KLIA Main Terminal. The new terminal in Labu, Negeri Sembilan, is scheduled to be in operation early 2011.

In recent days, the proposed KLIA-East terminal has generated a lot of debates and discussions in the media – print, broadcast and online. We appreciate the fact that almost everyone who has voiced their view agrees that AirAsia needs a new terminal. For us, the staff of the airline, the new terminal is very much a matter of the company’s survival given the number of new aircraft joining our ranks – at least two are being delivered every month – and the growth in passengers, estimated to reach 60 million in 2013.

We would like to appeal for your support in helping us deliver on our promises to you and in making The Rakyat’s Terminal a reality. We have set up a designated web site where we will try and clear misconceptions regarding the project and provide answers to questions you may have regarding KLIA-East. Do drop by and have a look. We would also like to appeal to you to voice out your support for the project – and for lower fares, convenience and a comfortable environment – by writing to the print media, appearing on broadcast media, responding in the online media, especially blogs, and contacting your elected representatives.

For more facts and enquiries on KLIA-East, please log on to www.airasia.com or head on over to the blog.

http://www.airasia.com/storage/bo/aaportal.model.ContentFileUpload/ce4a907f-7f000010-10e284f0-33f5fe64/name/labu_airport.gif

http://www.airasia.com/site/my/en/pageWithMenu.jsp?name=Tony's%20Address&id=ca66f45c-7f000010-53aed400-76e73d00&rootId=c9da1d60-7f000010-53aed400-530af71a&parentId=ca66f45c-7f000010-53aed400-76e73d00

a) Design and facilities
Simple and compact terminal layout design with a total of 920,000 sq ft
Upper level is reserved for departures with an area of 420,000 sq ft
Lower level is reserved for arrivals with an area of 500,000 sq ft
Concourses optimizes efficiency
Single level for cost effectiveness
Aircraft parking on both sides of the concourses
Reduces walking distances and overall concourse length
Straight concourses allow optimized aircraft operations
A very large airline hub facility
Phase I capacity of 30 million passengers per annum
With an ultimate capacity of more than 50 million passengers per annum

http://www.airasia.com/storage/bo/aaportal.model.ContentFileUpload/cde0d986-7f000010-10e284f0-150c2879/name/labu_18.gif

http://www.airasia.com/storage/bo/aaportal.model.ContentFileUpload/cde0d9dd-7f000010-10e284f0-dfaf6b5f/name/labu_21.jpg

http://www.airasia.com/storage/bo/aaportal.model.ContentFileUpload/cdb0734a-7f000010-10e284f0-26a8ad7a/name/labu24.jpg

http://www.airasia.com/storage/bo/aaportal.model.ContentFileUpload/cde0da00-7f000010-10e284f0-9aa9e4ea/name/labu_26.jpg

http://www.airasia.com/site/my/en/pageWithMenu.jsp?name=Why%20KLIA%20East?&id=ca476e5b-7f000010-53aed400-1975fae5&rootId=c9da1d60-7f000010-53aed400-530af71a&parentId=ca476e5b-7f000010-53aed400-1975fae5

KLIA-EAST
The Rakyat's Terminal


I almost vomited...

btw terminal macam tu jer?

http://www.airasia.com/storage/bo/aaportal.model.ContentFileUpload/ce4a907f-7f000010-10e284f0-33f5fe64/name/labu_airport.gif


^^niceeeeeee........:okay:

btw, Tony's new tag; 'The Rakyat's Terminal' is such a propaganda....:lol:

actually i was impressed with the presentation of stuffs at the website!!! There's even a comment box there.

btw does Tony surf our forums? He has answered all my questions posted on my blog alamak.

http://www.airasia.com/storage/bo/aaportal.model.ContentFileUpload/cde11b04-7f000010-10e284f0-89aadabc/name/labu_38.jpg
Wow a terminal that will have more than 60 gates with all aircrafts parked next to each other!!! Then Phase II on your right :)

All privately funded including ERL and staffs at control tower etc
Simple and compact terminal layout design with a total floor of 920,000 sq ft
Phase I capacity of 30 million passengers per annum
With an ultimate capacity of more than 50 million passengers per annum
Phase I : 1 runaway (4000m)
Phase II : 2 runaway (4000m)
Ultimately, 3 or more runaways.
In light of the passenger and aircraft growth, AirAsia and AirAsia X will soon need 60 gates while the KLIA Main Terminal only has 55 gates. This also shows why the KLIA Main Terminal is also unsuitable for use.


This puts MAHB's KLIA to shame!

Nice PR stund mr tony..:)

Wow a terminal that will have more than 60 gates with all aircrafts parked next to each other!!! Then Phase II on your right :)


If you care to look carefully, what is at right side of the pic you posted is actually the existing main terminal building (MTB) at KLIA. Not likely to be Phase II of Labu International Airport ! :)

deleted - double post

wow nice airport with lots of gates and big capacity
they have done their homework with the statistics shown on their website below to argue with MAHB
http://www.airasia.com/site/my/en/pageWithMenu.jsp?name=Why%20KLIA%20East?&id=ca476e5b-7f000010-53aed400-1975fae5&rootId=c9da1d60-7f000010-53aed400-530af71a&parentId=ca476e5b-7f000010-53aed400-1975fae5
and nice vision for phase 2 and 2 runways in the future

nice design, better than MAHB lcct which will not be built and lie people :lol:

If you care to look carefully, what is at right side of the pic you posted is actually the existing main terminal building (MTB) at KLIA. Not likely to be Phase II of Labu International Airport ! :)

Labu international Airport???LIA??hhahahaha:lol::lol:
yeahh..looks like MTB KLIA...
what will happen to KLIA afterwards????huhuhu:nuts::nuts:

http://www.airasia.com/storage/bo/aaportal.model.ContentFileUpload/cde0da00-7f000010-10e284f0-9aa9e4ea/name/labu_26.jpg

yang ni kat ne plak???:nuts:

ok ok on the right that one is MTB KLIA.. but just imagine lah another terminal building there...

The whole KLIA East can be renamed KL Real International Airport.

The present KLIA renamed KL Old International Airport and downgraded for struggling MAS and Firefly? jk lah

MAHB is inefficient and slow coach. For goodness sake build them a new LCCT or let them build their own. If u can do it dont stop others from doing it.

Airasia and MAHB story are totally different. Airasia say they dono MAHB plan but MAHB say the have the plan and Airasia knows.

One thing for sure i am sceptical MAHB can deliver the new LCCT in a short time. They like to dilly dally.

so from now on if u guys got comment or question or anytin u better post ur comments to the air asia blog....no more negative feedback...lol!!!

http://www.airasia.com/site/my/en/pageWithMenu.jsp?name=Your%20Comment&id=ca6ba402-7f000010-53aed400-f8fa9285&rootId=c9da1d60-7f000010-53aed400-530af71a&parentId=ca6ba402-7f000010-53aed400-f8fa9285

MSWG questions need for new LCCT
Published: 2009/01/15

The Minority Shareholder Watchdog Group (MSWG) has questioned the benefits of the new low-cost carrier terminal (LCCT) in Labu, Negri Sembilan, proposed by Sime Darby Bhd and AirAsia Bhd.


"Under the current depressed market conditions and likely difficult times ahead, initiatives led by the private sectors are most welcomed. Nonetheless, all key stakeholders must look at the broader picture to benefit the nation as a whole and the companies specifically," its new chief executive officer Rita Benoy Bushon said in a statement yesterday.

She said while there may be persuasive arguments for Sime Darby and AirAsia to build a new LCCT, the watchdog group believes that an "orderly development and construction of airports and aviation infrastructure in the country must be given the utmost consideration to ensure optimisation of resources in line with the country's National Airport Masterplan".

"(While) it is good to have competition, whether there is room for two LCCTs to be developed is debatable," she added.

Bushon also questioned the funding arrangements and ownership of the proposed LCCT. These are important for shareholders to assess the impact on the companies' gearing and cash flow.

"At MSWG, we believe in the board of directors' duty of making decisions to the best interest of their companies, shareholders and stakeholders.

"We also believe that commercial viability, merits of competition and value-creation should be at the heart of any corporate decision," she added.

MSWG believes that the proposed LCCT will hurt airport operator Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd as it will cannibalise the existing capacity of KLIA given that AirAsia commands 16 per cent and 49 per cent of the international passenger and domestic passenger movements respectively at the airport.

Last month, the Cabinet gave its consent for Sime Darby and AirAsia to proceed with the proposed LCCT on Sime Darby's 2,800ha in Labu. The two companies are now in preliminary discussions with the state and federal authorities.

AirAsia staff call for public support of proposed LCCT
Published: 2009/01/15


BUDGET airline AirAsia Bhd's (5099) employees have voiced their support for a low-cost carrier terminal (LCCT) to be built in Labu, Negri Sembilan, and appealed to the public to do the same.

The staff have set up a blog or website where they will try and clear misconceptions and provide answers regarding the proposed terminal, dubbed KLIA East@Labu.

"We would like to appeal to you to voice out your support for the project and for lower fares, convenience and a comfortable environment," they said in a statement, signed by "the 6,500 dedicated and hardworking staff at AirAsia", yesterday.

They have also asked the public to write in to the various media, including blogs, on the issue.
Of late, the proposed LCCT has generated much debate and discussion in the print, broadcast and online media.

"We appreciate the fact that almost all who have voiced their views agree that AirAsia and AirAsia X need a new terminal.

"For us, the staff, the new terminal is very much a matter of the company's survival given the number of new aircraft joining our ranks - at least two are being delivered every month - and the growth in passengers, estimated to reach 60 million in 2013."

The employees also said that complaints had been made about the cramped facilities at the existing LCCT in Sepang, operated and managed by Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd.

The new terminal is slated for operation in March 2011.

MSWG wants more information on KLIA East@Labu


PETALING JAYA: The cost benefit of the proposed low-cost carrier terminal (LCCT) in Labu, Negri Sembilan in financial and non-financial terms is an important question that needs to be addressed, according to Minority Shareholder Watchdog Group (MSWG) chief executive officer Rita Benoy Bushon.

At present, information on the proposed joint development of KLIA East@Labu by Sime Darby Bhd and AirAsia Bhd was sketchy, she said in a statement.

“The funding arrangements and ownership of the proposed LCCT are also important for shareholders to assess the impact on the companies’ gearing and cash flow,” she said. In MSWG’s view, the proposed new LCCT was expected to negatively impact Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB), Bushon said.

“It will cannibalise the existing capacity of KLIA given that AirAsia contributes 16% and 49% of international and domestic passenger movement respectively to the traffic flow in KLIA.”

She said under the current depressed market condition and likely difficult times ahead, initiatives led by the private sector were most welcome.

While there may be persuasive arguments for Sime Darby and AirAsia to build a new LCCT, MSWG believed that an orderly development and construction of airports and aviation infrastructure in the country must be given top consideration to ensure optimisation of resources in line with the country’s National Airport Masterplan.

“It is good to have competition but whether there is room for two LCCTs is debatable,” Bushon said.

While directors had a duty to make decisions in the best interests of their company, its shareholders and stakeholders, MSWG also believed “commercial viability, merits of competition and value creation should be at the heart of any corporate decision,” she said.

In light of this, Sime Darby, AirAsia and MAHB would need to provide more information and answers to address shareholders’ concern, she said.

http://www.airasia.com/storage/bo/aaportal.model.ContentFileUpload/cde0da00-7f000010-10e284f0-9aa9e4ea/name/labu_26.jpg

yang ni kat ne plak???:nuts:

hartsfield-jackson atlanta international airport. world's busiest airport. almost 1 million flights a year.

http://www.airasia.com/storage/bo/aaportal.model.ContentFileUpload/cdb11c13-7f000010-10e284f0-67832dd6/name/labu_faq-love.jpg

http://www.airasia.com/storage/bo/aaportal.model.ContentFileUpload/cdb0734a-7f000010-10e284f0-26a8ad7a/name/labu24.jpg

tony ask, do you see the similarity?

http://www.airasia.com/storage/bo/aaportal.model.ContentFileUpload/cde11b04-7f000010-10e284f0-89aadabc/name/labu_38.jpg

i think this is the permenant LCCT@KLIA...so tony just move it 15km to the east,why?.....

just do a JVlah with MAHB,mr tony.

http://www.airasia.com/storage/bo/aaportal.model.ContentFileUpload/cdb11c13-7f000010-10e284f0-67832dd6/name/labu_faq-love.jpg

http://www.airasia.com/storage/bo/aaportal.model.ContentFileUpload/cdb0734a-7f000010-10e284f0-26a8ad7a/name/labu24.jpg

tony ask, do you see the similarity?

tony forgot to mention about how hard southwest fought for the right to operate at love field airport. he forgot to mention how people actually wanted to shut down that old airport.

southwest wanted the love field cause it's closer to the city (subang!!??) but the city wanted the dallas fort worth cause it had bigger spaces and can accommodate a 747. (southwest operate exclusively on 737)

KLIA-East: MAHB terima kesan negatif

http://www.utusan.com.my/pix/2009/0115/Utusan_Malaysia/Ekonomi/ek_02.1.jpg
lakaran artis KLIA-East atau dikenali sebagai Terminal Rakyat yang akan dibangunkan oleh AirAsia dan Sime Darby.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------



KUALA LUMPUR 14 Jan. - Kumpulan Pengawas Pemegang Saham Minoriti (MSWG) berpendapat cadangan pembinaan lapangan terbang tambang murah KLIA-East di Labu, akan memberi kesan negatif kepada Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd. (MAHB).

Ketua Pegawai Eksekutifnya, Rita Benoy Bushon berkata, cadangan pembinaan itu akan 'membunuh' kapasiti Lapangan Terbang Antarabangsa Kuala Lumpur (KLIA).

''AirAsia menguasai 16 peratus dan 49 peratus pergerakan penumpang antarabangsa dan domestik terutama bagi aliran trafik di KLIA.

''Selain itu, perkara penting yang perlu dipertimbangkan manfaat kos projek tersebut dalam bentuk kewangan atau bukan kewangan. Urusan pembiayaan dan hak milik lapangan terbang itu adalah penting untuk dipertimbangkan oleh pemegang saham terhadap kesan kepada syarikat serta aliran tunai,'' katanya ketika mengulas tentang projek pembinaan lapangan terbang itu dapat memberi manfaat kepada orang ramai atau pemegang saham dalam Sime Darby.

Sebelum ini, Sime Darby dilaporkan akan membina KLIA-East dengan kos RM1.6 juta tidak termasuk harga tanah dan kemudian menjualnya kepada AirAsia.

Tambah Rita, dalam keadaan pasaran yang tertekan ini, inisiatif daripada sektor swasta adalah digalakkan.

''Oleh itu, pemegang saham perlu melihat gambaran lebih jelas yang memberi manfaat kepada negara dan syarikat khasnya.

''Walaupun terdapat perdebatan dan rayuan untuk Sime Darby dan AirAsia untuk membina lapangan terbang baru, MSWG percaya projek tersebut perlu diberikan kepada yang berpengalaman,'' katanya.

Rita berkata, MSWG berpandangan persaingan adalah baik tetapi sama ada perlunya dua lapangan terbang tambang murah dibangunkan masih boleh diperdebat.

''MSWG percaya tanggungjawab ahli lembaga pengarah adalah membuat keputusan yang memberi faedah kepada syarikat dan pemegang saham.

Sehubungan dengan itu, Sime Darby, AirAsia dan MAHB perlu memberikan lebih banyak maklumat dan jawapan kepada pemegang saham bagi menerangkan perkembangan terhadap cadangan pembinaan lapangan terbang baru itu.

MSWG questions viability of 2 LCCTs

Email us your feedback at fd@bizedge.com


KUALA LUMPUR: Minority Shareholder Watchdog Group (MSWG) has questioned if there was room for the development of two low-cost carrier terminals (LLCTs).

MSWG chief executive officer Rita Benoy Bushon said while there may be persuasive arguments for Sime Darby Bhd and AirAsia Bhd to build a new LCCT in Labu, an orderly development and construction of airports and aviation infrastructure must be given the utmost consideration.

She said this was to ensure the optimisation of resources in line with the country’s National Airport Masterplan. “Further to this, MSWG’s view is that it is good to have competition but whether there is room for two LCCTs to be developed is debatable,” she said in a statement yesterday.

Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB) had earlier identified a location for a permanent LCCT at KLIA.

Bushon said an imported question that needed to be addressed pertaining to the proposed development of the LCCT in Labu was the cost benefit of the project in financial and non-financial terms.

“The funding arrangements and ownership of the proposed LCCT are also important for shareholders to assess the impact on the companies’ gearing and cash flow, etc.

“The proposed new LCCT, in our view, is expected to negatively impact upon MAHB as it will cannibalise existing capacity of KLIA given the fact that AirAsia commands 16% and 49% of international passenger movement and domestic passenger movement respectively to the traffic flow of KLIA,” she said.

Bushon said Sime Darby, AirAsia and MAHB respectively would need to provide more information and answers to address shareholders’ concern. “In this way, their responses would make investors and stakeholders better informed on the new proposed LCCT.”

Meanwhile, ECMLibra Investment Research yesterday reiterated its buy on AirAsia, with a discounted cash flow- derived target price of RM1.90.

The research house said the construction of the purpose-built new LCCT at Labu made sense as the carrier’s need for a terminal with a higher capacity was imperative for its future growth.

“The existing LCCT with a capacity of 10 million per annum is already operating at full capacity within two years of its completion. Upon completion of its ongoing expansion in 2009, another five million capacity will be added.

“However, within a year, the expanded LCCT is anticipated to be filled to the brim again. More seriously, there will be a massive capacity shortfall of 10 million by 2013,” ECMLibra Research said.

It added that with better infrastructure and access, the LCCT at Labu would be on solid footing to be a leading regional LCCT hub once the long-haul operations of AirAsia X gained momentum.

ECMLibra Research said brighter days were ahead for AirAsia despite demand concerns. It said jet fuel costs had declined from a high of US$181 (RM651.60) per barrel in July 2008 to US$63 per barrel currently.

It said given AirAsia’s low-cost structure, the carrier would still be able to defend its turf in the event of a price war, and AirAsia may be able to benefit from down-trading by air travellers who are expected to become more cost-conscious going forward.

ECMLibra Research revised its estimates downwards for FY08 by 42.5% to take into account fuel hedging loss in 3QFY08 but also revised its estimates for FY09 and FY10 upwards by 195.6% and 117.3% respectively due to lower jet fuel assumptions of US$75 and US$80 per barrel respectively (previously US$120 and US$115 per barrel).

Sime Darby Bhd rose five sen to RM5.55 yesterday, while MAHB fell one sen to RM2.25. AirAsia rose one sen to 90 sen.

AirAsia heads to cyberspace to clear the air
by Chua Sue-Ann
Email us your feedback at fd@bizedge.com


KUALA LUMPUR: AirAsia has launched a website to clear misconceptions and provide answers in relation to its proposed new low-cost carrier terminal (LCCT) which it plans to build with Sime Darby Bhd.

In appealing for public support for the LCCT called KLIA-East@Labu, AirAsia group chief executive officer Datuk Seri Tony Fernandes said the website would serve as a one-stop info centre that dispels the rumours, corrects misconceptions and provides the context under which the proposed airport is planned.

In a separate statement issued yesterday, AirAsia said the new terminal, which it dubbed “The Rakyat’s Terminal” was crucial for the airline’s survival given that it was receiving at least two new aircraft every month and was anticipating passenger growth to reach an estimated 60 million in 2013.

AirAsia noted that the current LCCT in Sepang is owned, operated and managed by the government-linked Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd and not the budget airline operator, adding that AirAsia had noted user complaints about the current LCCT facilities.

“We appreciate the fact that almost everyone who has voiced their view agrees that AirAsia needs a new terminal.

“We would also like to appeal to you to voice out your support for the project…by writing to the print media, appearing on broadcast media, responding in the online media, especially blogs, and contacting your elected representatives,” AirAsia said.

The proposal had generated intense debate in both the traditional media and cyberspace, prompting the budget carrier to justify its need for a new LCCT terminal, located just 22km east of the main KLIA building.

Sime Darby Bhd had on Jan 5 obtained government approval to proceed with the proposed RM1.6 billion LCCT project, which it said was an integral part of the development plan for its Negri Sembilan Vision City (NSVC) and Central Vision Valley (CVV) property development project spanning parts of Selangor and Negri Sembilan.

The first phase of the Labu LCCT, expected to be completed in March 2011, would have a capacity of 30 million passengers per year and could be further increased to 50 million passengers, depending on AirAsia’s growth.

PROPOSAL TO MAHB

LCCT should remain at current site. Capacity expansion of up to 60mn pax p.a. by converting neighbouring cargo terminals (i.e. KLAS and MASKargo) for passenger use. Shuttle bus to link LCCT and MTB (providing the all-important 'airside' connection between the two passenger terminals)
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/207/472147380_6784a4a188_o.jpg

Cargo complex to be shifted to a new larger permanent site in KLIA Southwest quadrant (comprising cargo complex, free zone and runway). The Southwest quadrant caters exclusively for 'non-passenger' activities
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/211/472147386_c681ad6ff2_o.jpg

Rail infrastructure to be extended to link all terminals/facilities as well as the upcoming airport city (along Jalan Pekeliling)
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/182/377129157_e78eadfdf7_o.jpgGood proposal. Do you have a report written? You could forward it to the government and/or the opposition.

The rapid approval by the cabinet is a bad sign...something will happen when Najib takes over. So there need to be alternatives prepared.

Cheers, m

hey where is MAS? You mean by 2013 they will go bust or not grow their passengers above 25mil (now is 15mil).I want to know how that 60 million pax will be broken down. Currently it seems that they only have 10 million (probably less) Malaysian passengers at KLIA .... note that this is a big unclear....

So their proposed 60 million passengers includes Thai Air Asia and PT Air Asia from Indonesia....but how many of those passengers will pass through at KLIA?^^ya lor...where is MAS???:nuts::nuts:
for Tony, MAS is non-existent, and a firefly is "an insignificant bug that will only live for one day"

Cheers, m

If you care to look carefully, what is at right side of the pic you posted is actually the existing main terminal building (MTB) at KLIA. Not likely to be Phase II of Labu International Airport ! :)ooops...I wonder who made that mistake

Cheers, m

When this proposal was first mentioned, I thought, maybe Tony is playing hardball so he can get back to Subang...

But now it seems he doesnt even want Subang - way to go Tony...push for yourself and break Malaysian government and civil service down in the process.:ohno:

Cheers, m

I want to know how that 60 million pax will be broken down. Currently it seems that they only have 10 million (probably less) Malaysian passengers at KLIA .... note that this is a big unclear....

So their proposed 60 million passengers includes Thai Air Asia and PT Air Asia from Indonesia....but how many of those passengers will pass through at KLIA?

Cheers, m


From the website, a projected 60mil will use AirAsia (total traffic flow for the Group) in 2013. An estimated 25-30mil will pass through KL.


If you post questions/comments on AA website... you'll get replied there !!!


Seems that many people are now supporting AA's move partly because MAHB slow and sucks.

I ask MAHB to completely overhaul KLIA immediately!!! I suggest dont' build LCCT but seperate International and Domestic terminals instead !!!!!! Australia (most other countries) does that.

Ask Sime Darby to build a new SUPERBIG Domestic/Regional Terminal at KLIA (land extension) for all AirAsia (MY) and MAS Domestic, Firefly and other regional airlines. Since dometic ticket about the same nowadays, MAHB should charge every domestic carriers roughly the same price.

The present Satellite and MTB can be used for MAS Long Haul , AirAsia X and foreign flag carriers. Satellite 2 can be built if AirAsia X expands anytime soon.

I believe no airline should monopolized A TERMINAL on their own. But the reality today is KLIA is too difficult to change already. Not just that the MAHB policies like fee structure also politicised.



I dowan KLIA to be a hub to go here and there, but I want KLIA to be one of the world's busiest airport with alot alot of aircrafts!!!