Operations at the Low Cost Carrier Terminal (LCCT) finally came to an end early this morning, as the new KLIA2 terminal takes over budget carrier flights.
The last flight to take off from the LCCT was AirAsia X Flight D7 170 to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, at 2.35am. AirAsia’s first landing in KLIA2 was its flight from Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, which arrived at 3.50am.
KLIA2, built at a cost of RM4 billion, is designed to handle up to 45 million passengers annually, and AirAsia is expected to bring in 80% of that traffic in the years ahead. The LCCT, opened in 2006, by comparison was designed to only accommodate 10 million passengers per year, and was expanded in 2009 to handle a total of 15 million passengers annually.
Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad (MAHB) said the LCCT would henceforth be converted into a cargo terminal.
Bernama‘s Norsyafawati Ab Wahab reports that AirAsia Bhd CEO Aireen Omar spoke nostalgically of the airport her airline was leaving behind.
“The last night for us … is a very sad feeling in the sense that the LCCT had been so kind to us.
“Many good memories here with a lot of good launches, new routes and a lot of international connectivity created,” she said.
“We made the LCCT a very well-known low cost carrier airport hub in this region and I think it is very sad feeling for us here tonight.”
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