SEPANG – In its bid to continue conducting matters in accordance to the law, Malaysia Airports will be taking steps to collect the outstanding Passenger Service Charge (PSC) due to it from AirAsia, as decided by the High Court on 18 July 2019. The estimated value to be collected is RM41.5 million comprising the difference in the previous and current PSC for international non-ASEAN passengers as well as the late payment charges.
We wish to reiterate that in operating and managing 39 airports in Malaysia, our responsibility lies in ensuring that the services and facilities at all airports are maintained at the optimum level for airlines and passengers alike. We operate in a highly regulated industry where the PSC charges are determined by the Malaysian Aviation Commission (MAVCOM), an entity established by the Government as an independent body to regulate economic and commercial matters of the aviation industry. We have repeatedly clarified that the PSC charges are not decided or imposed by us Malaysia Airports, rather it is set and regulated by MAVCOM and the Government. It is our responsibility to implement the PSC charges as gazetted by MAVCOM. It is important to highlight that Malaysia Airports’ civil suits against AirAsia centred upon AirAsia’s failure to make payment of the PSC rates prescribed by MAVCOM.
KL International Airport’s (IATA Code: KUL) total passenger traffic as at 2018 has reached 60 million passengers and there are more than 60 airlines operating at KUL today. In order to maintain standard and equitable practices at the airport for all airlines, Malaysia Airports has established the Condition of Use (COU) which outlines the standard contract governing the relationship between the airport and all the airlines utilising the services at KUL, as well as conditions for the use of the airport including in matters pertaining to services, facilities, charges, compliance, and security. It is an industry norm and practice for the COU to serve as a standardised and uniform contract because the airport operator cannot be expected to enter into airline-specific contracts with each airline utilising the services and facilities of the airport. The COU is accepted by the industry as a tool to enforce the rules and regulations governing the use of the airport across the board in line with fair treatment of all airlines.