Construction of the new low-cost terminal, KLIA2, is on track for completion in April next year, says UEM Group Bhd, the main contractor for the new airport.

Managing director and chief executive officer Izzaddin Idris said there were some delays in the construction period earlier due to design realignments.

“We’re just the contractor. Any commitments required have to come from the Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB).

“The project is on track,” Izzaddin told reporters after UEM’s Hari Raya open house in Kuala Lumpur today.

The KLIA2 caused a rift between MAHB and the biggest tenant of the new airport, AirAsia, mainly due to claims by the latter on bloated construction costs and a series of delays.

The airport was first scheduled to be operational in April 2012.

On Aug 23, AirAsia chief-cum-founder, Tony Fernandes, said Malaysia Airports had told AirAsia to get ready for an April launching of KLIA2.

UEM Group, through its wholly-owned unit, UEM Construction Sdn Bhd, and joint-venture partner, Bina Puri Holdings Bhd, are the main contractors for the project, on a 60:40 joint-venture basis.

However, in an urgent note to editors posted at 6.01pm today, Bernama said: “Please ignore Bernama story slugged ‘UEM-KLIA2' moved at 5.17pm today.”

- Bernama