Tony Fernandes aims to make Kota Kinabalu a 'mini Dubai' for Australia-North Asia transit flights

KOTA KINABALU, Aug 13 — Sabah has the potential to become a major hub or transit point for flights between Australia and North Asia, according to Tan Sri Tony Fernandes, CEO of Capital A Bhd, AirAsia's parent company,

Fernandes highlighted Sabah's strategic location as an ideal connection airport for the region.

“One of my last dreams is to make Kota Kinabalu a transit or stopover airport for countries like a mini Dubai or Doha. Those flying between Japan and Australia can use Sabah as a stopover,” he said.

Fernandes said there was potential for Sabah due to its strategic location between Oceania and North Asia.

He said his airline was planning more routes for Sabah, which would not only open more routes from travellers between the two countries but also open Sabah up to new markets.

“We are planning to have flights between Tokyo and Osaka soon, and then around the first quarter of next year, introduce Sydney, Melbourne and Perth to start with.

“From there, we can open more connections and opportunities for Sabah especially with places like Phuket and Bali. They can stopover in KK; who wouldn’t like to come to KK?” he said.

Fernandes said AirAsia has brought some 80 million passengers to Sabah over the past two decades and wanted to continue to expand its tourism potential.

He said that at the current expansion rate, AirAsia would require a terminal of its own to to be effective.

“I can’t say whether it should be a new airport or renovating an existing airport because it is bound my pay scale but the am just giving the government and the Malaysia Airport Berhad (MAB) the ‘juice’. No point building a terminal no one is going to fly to. We want to make KK as a hub, but you need to give us the right ‘juice’ and terminal, otherwise it’s hard for us,” he said.

“Building a new airport would be a long-term project, no matter how quickly we act. But in the meantime, we must consider temporary solutions to realise our vision.

“If there is a chance to make KK a hub, let’s not wait for the new airport, or terminal, or a new site. Grab the opportunity now. One thing we are good at is if there’s a chance, grab it now,” he said.

Sabah Tourism Board chairman Datuk Joniston Bangkuai said a new terminal has been raised with Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor, outlining plans for the next few months.

“This is where Sabah and AirAsia understand each other’s needs. We can make it a reality. We want AirAsia to play a role in this,” he said.