Its president, Hamzah Rahmat, said airports were already collecting landing and parking fees, among other forms of taxes, from airline companies.
“There is no reason to charge PSC.
“It is like passengers using a bus terminal. Is it fair to charge them with bus terminal tax when they have already paid for the bus fare, which includes other charges?
“So why charge passengers with airport tax (PSC)?”
Furthermore, Hamzah said, it was unfair to impose PSC at klia2, the low-cost terminal, as passengers there had to manoeuvre their way through narrow lanes from the check-in counters to the departure lounge.
The passageway from the departure lounge to the aircraft was even narrower, he added.
Hamzah also said the walk from the entrance to the check-in counters was about 500 to 600 metres — quite a distance for senior people.
“So, is it right to charge people airport tax at klia2? The facilities do not equate with the amount charged.”
He was speaking to reporters at Matta headquarters here today to announce the annual Matta fair to be held from Sept 2 to 4 at the Putra World Trade Centre here.
The association is expecting 120,000 people during the two-day fair to book holiday, tour and flight packages. Emirates, which is the official airline for the fair, is offering free air tickets from Kuala Lumpur to Europe for visitors who win its contest.
At present, passengers travelling overseas or entering the country are charged RM65 at KLIA and RM32 at klia2.
Early this month, MAS Chief Executive Officer Peter Bellew had urged the government to standardise the airport charges at KLIA and klia2 to provide a healthy competition.
He said the move was crucial for MAS to become profitable again as it needed a “competitive set of charges at our home base” that would protect workers’ jobs and enable new jobs to be created in the future.
In the middle of this year, Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad (MAHB) Chief Badlisham Ghazali had said that the airport operator had invested RM4 billion in klia2, but there had been no corresponding increase in the PSC.
Badlisham said a rate hike for PSC was long overdue at both KLIA and klia2, and also a review of the air terminal charges.
MAHB said it wanted a hike and the newly-formed Malaysian Aviation Commission said it would review it.
Hamzah wanted MAHB to reconsider charging passengers airport tax.
“Isn’t it good for more people to travel overseas? It is a good way of selling Malaysia. When a foreigner asks us where you are from, our answer always promotes the country.
“The more people come here, more airlines will operate from KL airports and the airport management will make money, too.”