AirAsia says sinking Kuala Lumpur terminal poses security risks

The sinking Kuala Lumpur International Airport 2 (Klia2) terminal is a potential risk to operations and passengers, Malaysian airline operator AirAsia has warned.

The airline operator argued that the defective terminal will possibly result in flight delays, increased wear and tear on planes, in addition to posing a threat to safety.

AirAsia is the biggest operator serving this new budget passenger terminal, which opened in May last year.

The new terminal extends over an area of 360,000m² and includes a main terminal building with a gross floor area of 257,000m².

According to AirAsia CEO Aireen Omar, the company has demanded the authorities to resolve the problem immediately to avoid fatalities.

Aireen was quoted by Bloomberg as saying: "The airport is still sinking. Malaysia Airports has done some partial resurfacing, but what the airport actually needs is a permanent solution."

Operator Malaysia Airports has said that it is patching and resurfacing the problem areas and injecting polyurethane under the ground.

It hopes for a permanent solution when the construction of a concrete slab is completed in April 2016.

The Malaysian Transport Ministry has formed an independent audit committee to submit a report on ponding issues at the terminal.

Bloomberg as reported that AirAsia was reluctant to move to klia2 when it opened last year, but the pressure from the government saw the operator agreeing to serve from the new terminal.

During the first year of operation, AirAsia flew 15.2 million passengers that accounts for 87% of the terminal's traffic.