Malaysia's main airport operator today announced it will introduce a surcharge to help pay for tighter security measures.

Malaysia Airports said a fee of RM6 for international destinations and RM3 for domestic ones will be collected as part of the cost of an air ticket.

"Many airports around the world began to levy the security charge immediately after the Sept 11, 2001 incident," Malaysia Airports said in a statement.

"However, for Malaysia, the additional cost of these enhanced security measures has so far been absorbed by the airport operator," it said, justifying the charge.

The security charge on tickets will be imposed from Jan 15 next year, it said.

Malaysia Airports operates 39 airports around the country, including the Kuala Lumpur International Airport and Malaysia's low-cost carrier terminal.