The user fee is part of the existing operating agreement between the government and MAHB, which is currently being reviewed.
It sees MAHB forking out a percentage of its annual revenue including its non-aeronautical businesses to the government. The user fee currently stands at 11.8% or some RM300 to 400 million.
Speaking on the sidelines of an event today, Transport Minister Anthony Loke said he hoped the review of the operating agreement (OA) could be finalised and settled before the end of the year.
He also acknowledged that MAHB was operating in a “tight environment” where user fees increase every year under the current model.
On the new development model for airports, Loke said the government was looking at shifting the development expenditure for airports from the public to the private sector to avoid putting a strain on the government’s finances.
The government currently provides the development expenditure for airports with some exceptions such as klia2, which is funded by sukuk bonds issued by MAHB.
Loke said a new model would mean the need for capital injection from the private sector, adding however that there must be returns for prospective investors in order for this to work.
“The government needs to be fair. No one will invest if the returns aren’t good,” he said after launching the ACI Asia-Pacific Small and Emerging Airports Seminar 2018.
“We have to understand this principle: if we want the private sector’s investments to expand the airports, then we have to give a certain amount of returns to the private sector.”
For investors of an airport, returns can be generated from aeronautical charges like the passenger service charge (PSC) and non-aeronautical revenue like the rental of commercial space.
The PSC for airports is set by the government, which is looking to move to the Regulated Asset Base model. This will see the PSC based on the amount of investments put into an airport.
Loke said the government was very flexible in its discussions with the private sector to get a “win-win” situation.
He ruled out the possibility of Putrajaya introducing an airport development fee like in Singapore, where passengers pay a fee which goes to the development of new airports.
On the development of any new airport, such as a Low Cost Carrier Terminal in Sabah mooted by AirAsia, Loke said the OA must be finalised first.