Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB) chairperson Dr Aris Othman, hopes managing director Bashir Ahmad Abdul Majid stays on at least until the completion of KL International Airport 2 (KLIA2).

“If we were to bring in a different person or different management it will be tough in terms of continuity,” he said after presenting prizes to the winners of 'Indulge and Win' contest at the KL International Airport in Sepang today.

Last month, Bashir hinted at retiring after his contract with the company ended in June this year to rest, after having served 40 years in the industry and nine years with MAHB.

Bashir, 62, was first appointed to the MAHB board in June 2003. His contract was extended for another two years in 2010.

Aris said it was up to the government to decide.

Meanwhile, he said, KLIA2 was 50 percent completed and on schedule to start operations, expected in April next year.

On talk that AirAsia would not use the KLIA2, Aris said: “We are just a service provider. We provide the infrastructure. But the airlines have to decide whether they want to use it or not.”

He said the new low-cost carrier terminal was not only for AirAsia but also for other low-cost carriers.

“The present site of the Low-Cost Carrier Terminal is meant to be temporary because it is a cargo area.

“Sooner or later airlines can’t operate there because it is congested. The cargo operations need to be expanded. So they have to move,” he said.

Earlier, he presented the grand prize winner of the contest, Chong Sook Chen, with the keys to a Nissan Teana 2.5L V6 Premium.

Another 66 first-prize winners received business-class tickets to Kota Kinabalu or Langkawi and three-day and two-night stay in Kota Kinabalu or Langkawi.

The campaign, from Sept 1, 2011 to Jan 31, 2012, offered travellers and public a chance to win prizes when they shopped or dined at the participating international airports.

- Bernama