Transport Minister Liow Tiong Lai has been criticised for his failure to get AirAsia to relocate its operations at the Kota Kinabalu International Airport (KKIA) to its Terminal 1.

"Absolutely correct. Tourist want and deserve good airport facilities. But the transport ministry's secretary-general and Liow are pussyfooting! Why?" asked Tourism Promotion Board chairperson Wee Choo Keong in a Tweet today.

Wee was responding to netizen @MatUmno who said on Twitter that passengers are willing to pay extra money for a better service offered by KKIA.

The budget airline decided last month to stay at Terminal 2 despite the government's order to move to Terminal 1 by Aug 1.

It cited various reason including the terminal's higher passenger service charge (PSC) with international passengers being charged RM65 per person  compared to RM32 presently.

The relocation was initially set for January 1 this year but was delayed pending the outcome of several applications made by the budget carrier.

Wee (photo), who is also the former PKR Wangsa Maju parliamentarian, urged both Liow and Ismail to issue an order for KKIA's Terminal 2 to cease operation.

"It's time for Liow and the secretary-general to act like an authority and order MAHB to immediately close down the LCCT for the sake of the image of MAHB," he said in another Tweet.

Meanwhile, Deputy Transport Minister Abdul Aziz Kaprawi has ordered AirAsia to move immediately as the main building has a bigger passenger capacity.

"This is a government's directive. AirAsia and other airline carriers need to move to Terminal 1 after this," he said as reported by Bernama.

Horrendous conditions

The Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (Matta) also called on the transport ministry to decide whether AirAsia should relocate its operations to the main terminal.

"The continued feud between MAHB and AirAsia with no solution in sight has caused discomfort to passengers using Terminal 2," said Tan Kok Liang, the inbound vice-president of Matta.

"We are using a terminal that is unable to sustain the carrying capacity resulting in overcrowding and  poor infrastructure," he noted.

According to him, the facilities affected include toilet amenities, car parks, air-conditioning and insufficient immigration counters, baggage carousels, luggage X-ray machines, check-in counters amongst others.

“There are also no GST counters for tax refunds under the Tourists Refund Scheme causing disappointment to tourists departin KKIA at Termonal 2.

“But more worrisome is that we have also compromised our security by mixing international and domestic passengers at the terminal”, said Tan.

“Passengers are made to suffer horrendous conditions at Terminal 2. To add insult to the injury, a six percent GST is charged for atrocious facilities,” Tan pointed out.

“Malaysians, particularly Sabahans, are ashamed that foreign tourists have to put up with the inconveniences at the dilapidated Terminal 2.

"We have waited patiently for some years for the transport ministry and AirAsia to find a mutually acceptable solution but it appears that the ministry is indecisive.”

A key hub

However, he said due credit ought to be given to AirAsia for bolstering air connectivity to Sabah and boosting tourist arrivals to the state.

"The industry welcomes the recent announcement by Aireen Omar, CEO of AirAsia to make Sabah a key international hub.

"However, it is imperative for the ministry to make a decision whether to relocate AirAsia to Terminal 1 or for AirAsia to build its own terminal,” Tan said.