As the Low Cost Carrier Terminal (LCCT) winds down its operations ahead of the final transfer of all its services to the new KLIA2 terminal on May 9, AirAsia and the Immigration Department are pointing fingers at each other over extended delays at the old airport.
Newly-appointed director-general of the Immigration Department Datuk Aloyah Mamat blamed AirAsia’s earlier reluctance to move quickly to KLIA2 for causing her department to split its manpower assets across the two airports.
“AirAsia’s refusal to move to KLIA2 (on May 2) is cause for the congestion,” she was reported to have said by The Malay Mail Online.
“The Immigration Department cannot deploy many personnel at LCCT as all airlines, but AirAsia, have moved to KLIA2.”
AirAsia CEO Aireen Omar shot back with statements of her own over the matter.
She said AirAsia was disappointed by the remarks coming from the Immigration Department blaming the airline for yesterday’s delays.
“We were made aware of the situation at the immigration counters yesterday and we feel for our guests who were affected by it. Some of them missed their flights due to the long queues and we have assisted them by waiving their flight change fee,” she said in a statement today, reported by The Malaysian Insider.
Aireen said the announcement of AirAsia’s move to KLIA2 was made on April 15, after discussions between the airline and Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad (MAHB).
“We have also kept the Immigration Department well informed on the adequate facilities needed to facilitate our guests,” said Aireen.
AirAsia accounts for at least 90% of traffic at the LCCT and the low-cost carrier will operate in the terminal until May 8.
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