The Transport Ministry today revealed that the Kuala Lumpur International Airport suffered a drop of up to 20 per cent in potential travellers after four major airlines decided to terminate their flights to Malaysia.

However, the ministry's deputy minister Rahim Ngah Talib asserted in Parliament that the loss in passengers was a minor problem.

"The impact of several foreign airlines pulling out of KLIA only caused a drop of about 200,000 to 300,000 passengers," he said.

"There are still about 1.3 million passengers landing at KLIA despite the airlines' move to end their flights to the airport," he added.

According to Rahim, 1.66 million travellers landed in KLIA last year.

Quantas, Lufthansa, British Airways and Aeroflot terminated their services to KLIA this year citing low passenger load volumes. All Nippon Airways, which initially also stopped its services, has since resumed its flights to KLIA.

Rahim was responding to Barisan Nasional member of parliament for Alor Gajah Wira Abu Seman Haji Yusop who asked the ministry to state the reasons why the foreign airlines had stopped flying into KLIA and measures being implemented to woo them back.

Wira also questioned the efficiency of Malaysian Airports Berhad (MAB) which manages KLIA.

He asked whether the government would invite foreign experts to manage the airport and increase the number of international flights in and out of KLIA.

Second-best

Rahim defended MAB saying the company was efficient and 'perfect' and that no foreign investors or expertise were needed as the airport management had already received world class recognition.

"MAB obtained recognition for being the world's second-best in flight service management," he said, adding that KLIA's landing charges was also the most competitive in the region.

(Since May this year, flights which have a 25 percent passenger rate are exempted from paying landing charges at KLIA.)

"Airlines who terminate their flights to KLIA have their own financial and strategic alliances which may or may not be profitable. It is not because MAB is inefficient," said Rahim.

He said the government will continue promoting KLIA through liberal air agreements, maintaining strategic alliances with international flight operators and providing competitive landing charges.