"Parliament will resume in roughly a month's time, on February 16. We promise you active debates on this what is called a leaf off the 'midnight regulations' of the out-going PM." - ScreenshotsJeff Ooi vs Labu airport. The DAP MP has placed the logo on his blog, so now we have two Members of Parliament who have thrown support for this blogosphere campaign to get the Government to seriously revise - and reverse - a Cabinet approval for a RM1.7 billion Low Cost Carrier Terminal (LCCT) that nobody, except perhaps Sime Darby, needs.The other MP is PKR's YB Wee Choo Keong, a strong critic of Air Asia.
Sime Darby has proposed that the LCCT be built in Labu, Negri Sembilan., to be handed over the Air Asia to operate in three years' time. Malaysia has an Airport Master Plan but Labu is not mentioned anywhere in it.
In supporting our campaign, Jeff Ooi quotes freely from The Fourth Airport.
I suggest you read it, too. Like Jeff says, The Old Man does make sense.
And while we're at it, read about the Forgotten Airport here.
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Labu: The Old Man does make sense, doesn't he?
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Why must sime-AA called the airport KLIA-east if it's 10km away? just call it tony-zubir airport or Labu-Labi Airport etc. FYI,further south to Labu, the Batu Berendam airport was recently upgraded to cater for bigger jetplane. And now this Labu idea.
ReplyDeletelet me tell Jeff Ooi he makes no sense, and the Old Man leaves us senseless. This is an insidious plot by Dr M and his cronies to discredit and ultimately destroy Air Asia and Tony Fernandez. Malaysians must not fall prey to this conspiracy against a towering Malaysian. I urge the people not to be sucked in a whirpool of hatred perpetrated by the enemies of progress. Jeff Ooi should be sacked by the DAP for being a lacky of Mahathir.
ReplyDeleteyes le, the government must be crazy to build another airport. WHY MUST THEY EXPAND LCCT, if they intend to build a new one!!! Use people money for other benefit thing. Instead, use our money and spend to KT election!!!
ReplyDeletezamri, sunway
Ali Rastam why you keep quite not promoting Batu Berendam international airport just because the airport is maintained by MAB Tony doesn't AA there ? MAB can promote other LCC operating from BBI ( batu berendam international).
ReplyDeleteAla Rocky, don't get a hard-on that Jeff Ooi referred to Mahathir.
ReplyDeleteWe don't need Mahathir to tell us that the Labu project is clearly unnecessary. Ordinary folks who apply critical thought to any government plan can see that the project need not go ahead given available capacity.
Also we need to remember that Mahathir voices out because of his hardcore enmity towards Badawi.
If only, Rocky, you can apply the same critical thinking to all the megaprojects that Mahathir gave a nod to!
the old man does make sense, but then, what about those young "YMCA" man with good tertiary education done to malaysia.
ReplyDeletehow i wish the darn old man still in the cabinet.
darn those "YMCA" young men.
Initially, I thought it was a good idea to have another airport at Labu. But now I have second thoughts.
ReplyDeleteWhile ideally, airports are catalysts for economic activities, we should also consider the negative impacts too.
A low cost carrier terminal is meant to serve low budget travellers, who want to spend as little as possible to get to their final destination.
Studies will indicate that the majority of these travellers come from the Klang valley, which means that getting to Labu by taxi or bus may cost even more than the airfare itself. Well, that may be one of the catalytic cycles of economics but, not necessarily what the low budget traveller needs.
If the Labu project is on, can I apply for a taxi or limousine permit in advance before others jump in the queue?
A GOOD MAN DOES NOTHING.
Times are bad with the financial crisis reaching our door. Doing this project may appear like an good idea to generate the economy. Sound pretty reasonable but, along the way some people are going to make some fast bucks, again, at the expense of taxpayers...no worries, our wealth is bottomless.
ReplyDeleteThis is Bolehland in action!
changi airport handled 37 million passengers last year.
ReplyDeletelook at the connectivities provided by changi, hong kong airport and bangkok airport and compare them against the connectivities offered by klia.
look at the number of airlines that fly to changi, hong kong and bangkok and compare that against the number of airlines that fly to klia.
now, can we really and truly say that malaysia airports has done a great job in managing klia?
a recent report in the singapore business times claimed that malaysia airports is still receiving subsidies from the federal government. if this is true, it means that malaysia airports (a public-listed and govt-linked company) is unprofitable in its own right and that any profits that it reports is the result of govt subsidies. is this correct?
so, if malaysia airports isn't doing a good job of managing klia, judging by the numbers and international survey rankings, who should be held responsible? malaysia airports management? its board of directors? the transport ministry?
tony fernandes may just have a point here. perhaps a team of international consultants should be brought in to assess the operations of klia and benchmark it against the best airports in the world.
and while they are about it, they may want to find out why so many international airlines are giving klia a miss and choosing instead to fly to changi and bangkok.
but, then, these are the sensitive questions that no one in malaysia airports or the government wants to answer.
perhaps the good dr mahathir could hazard some guesses?
Brother Rocky,
ReplyDeleteIf AirAsia can have its own airport and continue to provide cheap air transport to the people, what's so wrong about having its own airport in Labu? Of course people flying in business class or on the government's expense like you and your MP friends or the old man couldn't be bothered about the air fares but commoners stand to benefit from cheaper air transport if AirAsia can expand further.
Thank you.
Bro, I think the biggest mistake made by the government when they appointed Black Moses as the sime darby adviser.
ReplyDeleteBut seriously, as a patriotic citizen , i really support the opposition to play this issue. I dont want our KLIA become a white elephant as the gomen had spended billion of dollars just to built such a great facility n infrastructure.
This LABU LABI LCCT is a short term sight and the development is only to rip and benefit by few cronies, which they also know the risk is actually very high.
THe problem with Air Asia right now is they think that they are own by the multi-billionaire but this billionaire is the rakyat money. Up to now, the gomen has never reveal who is the PFI, does this PFI is either EPF, petronas, Tabung Haji or Sime Darby (GLC).
I respect Uncle tony for his risk taker attitude but to invest and expect that land asset had a strong guaranttee for higher return in the long term is seriously not viable at this moment unless you sell to foreigner if they are still interested in Malaysia. AA had a high potential to be like a virgin but Mr. Branson also will not share the same idea of building the new heathrow - east airport in london.
So for you bro rock to be responsible to our socitey, lets we start again as what you did to save the IJN campaign.
Sapelah penasihat Pak Lah ni?
ReplyDeleteApesal lah dia dok buat lawak bodoh sepanjang pentadbirannya?
Apa perlunya wawasan, dasar dan perancangan negara jika atas kepentingan peribadi orang boleh merosakkan visi tersebut?
Satu bende yang saya amat sangsi adalah;
BODOH SANGATKAH ABDULLAH AHMAD BADAWI INI?
atau
APAKAH DISEBALIK IMEJ KEIMANAN BELIAU BERDIRI KUKUH SEBUAH PERWATAKAN JIJIK YANG TIDAK PERNAH KITA TAHU?
Semua orang sayang pada beliau sebelum ini.
TAPI APA SEBENARNYA YANG TELAH BERLAKU?
I'm no expert on aviation/traffic rules, but to build and run an airport, surely there must be regulations to comply with and some international body to sanction its safety etc? So how can Air Asia just go ahead and build one?
ReplyDeleteSecondly, I thought it was highly presumptuous of Tony Fernandes to say in the recent press interview (with Star?, can't remember which paper) that the DCA officials will man the control tower or such and that Air Asia will pay their wages. Talking as if government servants were his to take and use at will.
What about the peripherals that will link up to the airport? Roads, electricity, water supply etc> Air Asia forking out for that too?
His reasoning that the airport is needed because Air Asia has so many planes to handle soon boggles the mind. On a very small scale, it's akin to those mamak eateries where plastic tables and chairs encroach onto the road at night, why?, because so many customers, what to do? demand justifies it.
Another thing, I think the crowds, chaos at current LCCT which Air Asia crew never bother to control is a ploy by the company to justify the Labu airport. If Air Asia passengers elsewhere can board easily, why only at LCCT there are problems? Malaysians are kiasu, true. But if there are officials properly manning the check-in/boarding, there will be order.
"Talking as if government servants were his to take and use at will."
ReplyDeleteGood one, Attila (the Hun? Plunder and pillage. Surely you will loose in this day of corporate, blue eye Lanuns :) ).
Anyway, Labu LCCT is actually a brilliant idea. Imagine having a trio of airports (Speang, Labu, Batu Berendam) within hopping (plane wise) distance of each other.
Perhaps one day, we could even have massive overhead runways from each of the trio to launch their respective flights.
Now that would be a legacy worth shouting about.
Bigger than anything! Changi can eat their shorts and the thongs underneath their undies.
Long live the plunderers, pillagers or modern times!
May they live happily ever after with their bloated riches.
Rocky,
ReplyDelete1. It's another way for Tony to get Subang airport as his base.
He's just like a sulking child trying to get something from his dad.
One stone kills 2 birds. He'll get more paxs due to short distance from KL and MAS will get less paxs.
But it's too crowded already around Subang area and too small to park all his 100 aircrafts.
2. Rules in ICAO ( International Civil Aviation Organization ) and IATA ( International Air Transport Assiociation ) stated clearly that it's against the safety standard.
So I guess Dr M guess that Sime Darby will only build a terminal building minus runaway for Tony could be correct.
3. Complaining about the MAHB charges ? I didn't hear other foreign airlines saying the same thing. In fact KLIA is one of the cheapest in the region, what more is LCCT.
4. KLIA@East then should be named after Tony ( Tony's LCCT ) for his bright idea using Sime Darby@GLC money.
May God bless you Malaysian
Thnks to Airasia, i got to travel to many places which i couldn't afford if not for the low fare they offered. Airasia did a wonderful job. They provide good service for a very reasonable price. But i notice the LCCT cannot fit their operations anymore...it is so crowded...obviously they should be given a chance to grow. We should support AA...not bash it!!! It's a Malaysian Made Brand!! BE PROUD!
ReplyDeleteLCCT at Labu
ReplyDeleteThe BN government approves
Without proper study and surveying
It is because of cronyism
Sime Darby and Air Asia
Eyeing the airport privately funded
Within an area of 100km
Something isn’t right in numbers
Within this small area
4 airports in the circle
Too many tigers roam
Fighting will be the day
In the end who will pay?
One fails one in limbo
In Malacca perhaps
A new airport in 2009
Smell the air; feel the smoke
Then slowly it dies
Taxpayers’ money wasted
Somebody smiling to the bank
Now the concerned parties
They will tell the good investment story
BN government never study in depth
As most high flying projects
Falling into questionable conduct
The people must decide
Quickly before it becomes too late
We can’t afford to run this country
With elected people doing party biddings
We better know our backyards
Before we go protesting for other countries
It is here we must clean up our act
Else we get a slap on our faces
Looks like, Sounds like another Satyam is brewing locally here.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteThe magic words uttered by Tony Fernandez to reporters are these:
ReplyDeleteNOT A SEN OF GOVERNMENT MONEY WILL BE USED.
Of course reporters are just like the EPU - useless and clueless, so they all think that this is a good idea, and let the risks all fall on Sime/Air Asia.
It is not that simple.
Private Finance Initiatives are the financing of social infrastructure projects which by their nature cannot be commercially viable on their own. These include prisons, airports, ports, schools, roads and rail-links. PFI schemes generally don't require public money upfront, but they do require annual subsidies to keep the facilities viable.
An airport terminal is commercially viable because you can rent out duty free concessions, parking facilities, baggage handling, even the use of toilets and carts. However, road links and rail links can never stand on their own, so government subsidies are needed. Maybe not upfront in terms of cash, but definitely land acquisitions and conversions, and annual payments to the operators to make them viable.
There are also security considerations, so facilities like police stations, hospitals, ATC and CIQ have to be built with government money.
These clowns at Sime/Air Asia may try to show some bravado, and tell the EPU that they can build all social infrastructure for "free" but then they will have to turn the Labu airport into a real estate play like the Port Klang Free Trade Zone - warehouses, office buildings, residential.
Another white elephant in the making. Tony Fernandez may say that he is a visionary - but ask him how much of his own money he is prepared to place on Labu succeeding. Just to give him a project that he says doesn't require government funding makes no sense at all because national interests and international prestige are at stake here. What if I ask Dollah to let me build the Suez canal equivalent at the border with Thailand. No need for a single sen of government money...hahaha....
Godfather
to nstman 4:32 AM,
ReplyDeleteconspiracy? u must be joking. FYI, tuney took over AA during dr M era. tuney applied for airline licence under Tune Air brand but the ol' man said take over the lost making AA as among others, AA could be a better brand with regional appeal. Tuney once said s/thing to this efx "I dont have to go to zoo to find a name for my airlines (with reference to Tiger Air etc)".
Tuesday January 13, 2009
ReplyDeletehttp://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2009/1/13/nation/3001004&sec=nation
Approval for Nilai LCCT given by all parties, says Tee Keat
KUALA LUMPUR: Approval for the new low-cost carrier terminal in Nilai, Negri Sembilan, was given by all the relevant parties, Transport Minister Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat said.
New President, New show.
Yo Bro Rocky,
ReplyDeleteTo NSTman - before you jump your gun bro, pls check who helped Toiny to get Air Asia.....if you dont know the fact then just go and suck Anwar's cock ok..
Dato Shafee....betul kau ni dato atau kontaraktor yang kecewa sebab tak dapat projek (kekadang tu jenis kau ni dpt kontrak tapi kantoi sebab terlebih belanja pastu marah kat Tun Dr M pulak.....)
Ynag patut korang belasah adalah KJ and da gang, tak habis2 nak blame Tun Dr M.....aku getik tgk statement korang ni, korang ni jenis boleh jual iman untuk duit kan?...
No hard feeling
Rocky,
ReplyDeleteKLIA@East will cost SD RM1.7B.
SD will give kawan KJ the job just like LCCT last time.... apa ke name company tu...Rembau construction ke or something like that la
If they take 20% margin and give 10% to KJ @ RM170 million.
no wonder la ramai orang UMNO kejor KJ.
buat airport lagi untung beb
tikus membaiki LABU.
ReplyDeleteKERA mendapat bunga.
Tikus = TF
Kera = KJ
What a brilliant combination...heheheh.
Of course Tun Dr M does make sense when he can even demonstrate in his blog his ability to calculate how much time an approaching big jet would cover the 10 km distance between KLIA and LABU AIRPORT!
ReplyDeleteAnd I could not blame Tony Fernandes for dreaming his own LCCT, runway, control tower and CIQ, ……… BUT HE BLUNDERED TERRIBLY ON THE SELECTION OF HIS DREAM AIRPORT SITE.
With his fascination and comparison of London’s five airports (all with rail connections to DIFFERENT city train stations), I would have given him a chance had he selected the airport sites in the Pakatan Rakyat controlled states of Selangor or Perak i.e. at locations to the north of Rawang, Lembah Beringin and perhaps even beyond Tanjung Malim, all with good existing rail connections to capitalize on!
The request of Pakatan Rakyat Chief Minister of Penang for him to build the LCCT in Penang may not be suitable in his planning as it is too far from Kuala Lumpur.
I said the above because all of London’s five airports are spread apart (definitely in multiples of 10km!). Even the train stations in London city they connect to are different namely 1. HEATHROW-Paddingon and Underground, 2. GATWICK-Victoria, 3 STANSTED-Liverpool St., 4. LUTON-St. Pancreas and 5. LONDON CITY AIRPORT-connected to the Underground and Docklands Light Rail DLR.
But Tony Fernandez faltered miserably in choosing his airport site in the Barisan Nasional controlled state of Negri Sembilan and in the process he ended up in the jaws of a partyless (but not toothless hehe) Old Man and Melayu Bukan Mudah Lupa!
My Vote As A Registered Voter: NO TO LABU AIRPORT!
The Labu airport is another project.. so clear...billions need to be spent by UMNO again..to start their corruption machinery into full gear.
ReplyDeleteThey need to fill up UMNO kitty bank....as "money is power"...so said Mahathir..who started this ...now criticizing his own students......which turns out to be right too!!
ape kejadah nak airport lagi ni.KLIA ado,batu berendam ado,kalau orang nogori nak airport buek jo highway,tak gitu bujai!
ReplyDeletekito nak makan bukan airport lahabau...
lubokcino.
As a frequent flyer with AirAsia, I experience what a cattle goes thru each time I take a flight from LCCT. It's tight and uncomfortable. I understand AirAsia's point on either expanding or relocating. It's for their own business survival. What I can't understand is why doesn't MAB and the govenrment come up with a better solution to max the current KLIA. Make it easier for the rakyat to use LCCT, build a bigger terminal and not one that looks like there was no proper planning in the first place. The current one looks like they put it up half-heartedly and kept adding to it like some half baked renovation to an old house. Supermarkets and some bus terminals look better than the LCCT. That's how we welcome people into our country? AirAsia brings in travellers that add to our economy and it is one of the truly successful Malaysian companies to have achieved world recognition. Help them to make it a Malaysian icon and show the world that "Malaysia Boleh Achieve" not "Malaysia Boleh Nearly Achieve" like we usually do in many things. Advise to Tony F. If Malaysia cannot see the success in AirAsia there are other Asian countries that would love to have you.
ReplyDeleteA citizen for a better Malaysia
changi airport - served by 80 airlines with flights to 180 cities in 50 countries. handling capacity of 70 million passengers a year across its 3 terminals and a budget terminal.
ReplyDeletehong kong international airport - served by 90 airlines with flights to 150 cities. handled 47.8 million passengers in 2007 with 2 terminals and 2 runways.
klia? served by 57 airlines, according to its website.
klia is a distant 4th behind hong kong airport, changi airport and bangkok's suvarnabhumi airport.
perhaps malaysia airlines could let us know why airlines choose to serve hong kong (ok - gateway to china), changi and bangkok instead of klia.
isn't there a national aviation policy in place? instead, the transport minister chooses to pass the buck to the finance ministry ("approval for nilai lcct given by all parties, says tee keat" - the star, jan 13).
really, ah, tee keat? just who do you think you are kidding?
But, on the other hand, if we keep on opposing development, we might as well go back to living on trees.
ReplyDeleteA GOOD MAN DOES NOTHING.
Tony Fernandez is a great entrepreunur who dares to dream, who dares to hope and who walks the walk. Though his perseverence and ingenuity, he has put Malaysia on the airline map. He has created thousands of jobs for the people. Is that the way to treat him. His critics are only good at running him down. How typical Malaysian. Tony, show these bastards what you are made of. Show them you are made of sterner stuff. By the way, I dont work for Tony, or am I beholden to him. We will stand by you, Tony. Sock to these bastards.
ReplyDeleteA GOOD MAN DOES NOTHING is clearly talking cock. Who is not in favour of development ? Development that makes sense, and not development that is rushed and disguised so as to suck the rakyat's money.
ReplyDeleteGodfather
Dear Jeff ooi
ReplyDeleteI think what you said about the old man is true..nstman just do not know his facts.
Labu labi LCCT is tarnishing Tony's good AA brand name. I hope he withdraws from Sime Group. Sime Group is just greedy. Tun Musa what happen to you. We do not need a next door LCCT. We would appreciate that Sime group use that money to build another IJN hospital and donate it to the Government.THAT IS WHAT WE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY!
Sign-off
Pirate of Straits of Malacca
Why the govt must be obeyed to this PRIVATE ENTITY so called Air Asia. Does the govt need to follow their own masterplan or opt for Air Asia to have theirs in place.
ReplyDeleteI dont really understand on how Malaysian Govt run the country. All kind of FLIP FLOP decision imposed by AAB.
Seems that he doesnt have any common sense or maybe he just pretending not to have one since that he will be leaving his hot seat soon. But at least for the sake of a good legacy, AAB please stop this LABU@Crap at once. Make our country laughing stock no more.
Why cant we just follow SIN since that AAB always be with SIN (scenic bridge cancellation, airspace ). Changi for me personally still the best airport as a hub.
They've integrated all terminals into one easy access air travel hub.
I can safely say that, now Air Asia projecting all mumbo jumbo good things about LABU@Crap, but sooner or later the airport will be another white elephant. The grand saga not mention the nearby Batu Berendam Int Airport in Malacca. I guess Malaysia will soon has the Mega Airport connecting Batu Berendam, Labu and KLIA Sepang.
MALAYSIA BOLEH!!!
Dear Tony,
ReplyDeleteIf you ever read this. From economical point of view, you make sense too by saying Air Asia need to grow fast. Why not you call for a meeting, Government, Malaysia Airport and Air Asia sit together. You brought in more passengers to Malaysia than any other airlines flying into and out of Malaysia put together, no doubt. Therefore, I'm sure you can ask for a discount (I mean substantial discount!!), at least for the air bridge rental and so on. With the big volume of passengers, I'm sure you can pay a little bit higher than LCCT, just a little. I'm sure you've got ways. You've always been entrepreneurial all along. Me, one of your frequent travel still need to pay a bomb just to get to LCCT, what more if you move to Labu (is it a pumpkin farm?).
The problem with the current KLIA is that it has too many commitment to be fulfilled. It has to subsidize the loss-making ERL service, among others. After all, it's under-utilized.
With you moving into KLIA, it will surely bring credit to your airline. It makes us easier to travel too. The ERL can reduce their fare if the volume is big (make sure government force YTL to do so). Now we have to travel by bus from KLIA to LCCT which is really inconvenient if you carry a lot of bags. If we take a taxi, it's equivalent to paying an Air Asia ticket, perhaps even more.
We all don't want you moving your base out of Malaysia because you're our country's pride alongside Petronas. The rest of the company are all useless. Please consider this poor rakyat's appeal.
To add;
ReplyDeleteWhy Tony always said KLIA charged him sky rocket when other airlines including the low fares Tiger, Cebu Pasific said nothing. And If I compare fares between AA and Tiger I bet you Tiger is cheaper than AA.
Why Tony@AA didnt say anything on Changi's charges? I bet Tony if Changi charged him in RINGGIT. C'mon Tony.. How low of charges that you want? Why double standard?
And I hope you can be a speculator as well so you can control the world's oil price.; lol
Godfather 6.59pm is contradicting himself by wanting development and yet opposes speedy and disguised development. Speedy development saves time, perhaps money too. Disguised development is still development, albeit profits for the developer.
ReplyDeleteWhat we actually need is calculated development in which risk factors have been taken into account.
Airports are usually associated with catalyst for development and the spurring of economic activities, which previously wasn't there.
Therefore, if the mathematics are done right, things will fall into place like a fitting shoe.
Just look at the Penang bridge before it was built. The very same slogan shouters predicted doom and gloom preferring to continue using the obselete ferry services.
Now, the very same slogan shouters want another bridge.
Heck, it sure is difficult to please everybody, including your goodself.
A GOOD MAN DOES NOTHING.