KUALA LUMPUR: Local airlines will be prioritised for vacant slots at the Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport in Subang, says Transport Minister Anthony Loke.
Acknowledging interest from foreign airlines, Loke said Malaysian authorities are very careful about who the slots should be given to.
“We have to prioritise our local airlines first. There is interest from many airlines but we have to be very mindful when granting slots to foreign airlines as we do not want to be a feeder for other international hubs.
“The interest of the KL International Airport as a regional hub must also be protected,” he told a press conference after the National Aviation Consultative Council (NACC) meeting on Wednesday (Aug 27).
Loke defended Subang Airport’s appeal, adding that when slots were initially opened there, many airlines had applied and taken them as they did not want to lose out.
“But after a while, they may have felt it was not viable, hence they pulled out. That does not mean Subang is not interesting as many other airlines are still looking to take up slots there,” he said.
Loke stressed that he does not have any say on who is given the slots.
“I don’t get involved. There is a committee guided by the Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia and Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad (MAHB) to decide,” he said.
The minister added that many airlines want a large scale for operations, noting how the Subang Airport cannot provide this yet.
“Subang has not been expanded yet and operations are limited due to the infrastructure limitations there,” he said.
Loke said the original scope of the Subang Airport Regeneration Plan (SARP) was to build a new terminal capable of managing up to eight million passengers per annum.
“If we can achieve this, more slots can be given but the infrastructure cannot cope at the moment.
“We also do not have the bays to accommodate many aircraft with flight operations limited to only one per hour,” he said.
According to the minister, Phase 1 of the SARP has been completed with Phase 2 awaiting MAHB’s decision.
He said the new MAHB board, following its privatisation, will decide on the way forward.
