Many Malaysians and foreigners alike have been frequenting Kuala Lumpur International Airport 2 (KLIA2) due to the more affordable domestic and international flights, as well as their lower passenger service charges (PSC).
According to KLIA’s website, PSCs (formerly known as ‘Airport Tax’) is collected by airlines when passengers purchase their tickets. This collected amount is then paid to Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad (MAHB) once the flight is completed.
Currently, the PSC for KLIA and KLIA2 are standardised for flights to domestic and ASEAN regions, but PSCs for international flights are considerably cheaper for KLIA2. Check out what their current rates look like:
Source: KLIA
Now, it has been revealed that the Malaysian Aviation Commission (MAVCOM) will be hiking up the PSC for international flights in KLIA2 from RM50 to RM73 in efforts to standardise the prices. This change in price will reportedly be implemented starting 1st January 2018, according to Free Malaysia Today.
MAVCOM’s move to increase the PSC for this airport, which was decided last October, would ensure passengers at KLIA and other local airports won’t end up subsidising for KLIA2.
They reasoned that since the PSC is lower in this airport, passengers paying PSCs in other local airports will fund the maintenance of KLIA2, meaning that these passengers are paying for facilities and services they aren’t using.
Source: New Straits Times
The aviation commission rationalised the price hike by stating that KLIA2 is comparable to KLIA and is more superior than other airports in the country, including Penang, Langkawi, Kota Kinabalu, and Kuching. Therefore, it wouldn’t make sense for this airport to have a lower PSC than the other airports.
Meanwhile, MAVCOM is also working to make the PSCs at secondary airports lower than that of KLIA and KLIA2, but this is expected to take about three years.
In light of this news, AirAsia Bhd has urged Mavcom to reconsider the price hike, as there are vast differences in the facilities and services between KLIA and KLIA2. The airline’s chief executive officer Aireen Omar stated,
“It is inaccurate to say the services provided by the two airport terminals are comparable as facilities at KLIA are far more superior compared with KLIA2.”
Source: The Star
“We seek MAVCOM’s transparency on this claim and strongly urge that MAVCOM review feedback from travellers and customers of KLIA2. It must also look into the multiple representations on the visible differences of the facilities and services offered between KLIA and KLIA2.”
What do you think about this change in price? Do you think KLIA or KLIA2 has better services and facilities? Let us know in the comments below!
Also read: Malaysian Airports to Charge RM1 Levy on All Travellers Starting 2018
