AirAsia says the differential in the passenger service charge (PSC) between the KL International Airport (KLIA) and KL International Airport 2 (KLIA2) should be maintained as the lower charges at KLIA2 will continue to better serve a broad range of travellers.

In making an analogy, group chief executive officer Tony Fernandes (photo) said: "We are a three-star hotel, if every hotel in Malaysia was five-star, there will be very few tourists here.

"Airports should have a similar set-up to lure more tourist, encourage passenger travel and the tourism industry.”

Fernandes was commenting on the International Air Transport Association's recent proposal that the Malaysian government standardise the PSC at KLIA and KLIA2.

The chief, who rarely minces his words, urged Malaysia Airports Holding Bhd (MAHB) to "think out of the box" and tackle the issue differently.

"We are a leader in the low-cost carrier industry, we have beaten the Singaporean (counterparts) handsomely. So, allow it to grow. Malaysia Airports should think Blue Ocean, think differently," he told reporters after a luncheon talk at the International Conference On Blue Ocean Strategy in Putrajaya today.

Fernandes also took a dig at IATA, saying that Malaysia should not allow the association to determine the next cause of action in the country's aviation industry.

"How can a foreign organisation tell and spoil what our people have been enjoying and that same foreign organisation does not say the same about Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted, and Luton airports (which are all based in London).

"So it (IATA) should also do the same to airports in London and France because Stansted airport has difference charges compared to Heathrow," he said.

AirAsia is not a member of IATA, which represents some 265 airlines, comprising 83 percent of global air traffic.

- Bernama