GIP willing to relinquish MAHB stakes in a short time - minister

Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP) has expressed its willingness to be a minority shareholder in Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB) and to relinquish its shareholding within a short time frame, said Finance Minister II Amir Hamzah Azizan.

He said GIP was selected from among hundreds of companies based on stringent criteria, including agreeing to have Malaysians as MAHB chairman and managing director.

“As I have already mentioned, we take a firm stance in safeguarding the interest held in strategic national assets. On this matter, only GIP is seen as fulfilling the conditions set,” he said during a Special Chamber session in the Dewan Rakyat today.

Amir (above) said Khazanah Nasional Bhd and the Employees Provident Fund (EPF) have also conducted a detailed process for selecting a technical partner that is aligned with the goals to transform and improve the efficiency of the nation’s airports.

The minister said he believes GIP’s expertise, experience and success in optimising airport efficiency are needed to boost the airports’ competitiveness and efficiency.

Giving an example, Amir said GIP has successfully increased destinations to Edinburgh Airport in Scotland from 141 to 225.

The number of passengers at the airport also rose from 9.2 million in 2012 - when GIP took over - to 14.4 million last year.

He also noted that GIP replaced the passenger aerotrain at Gatwick Airport in the span of only 10 months.

High time for changes

The government, Amir said, also took into consideration the urgent need to implement reforms at MAHB through the formation of a consortium led by Khazanah Nasional and EPF, which would take over the majority stake of 70 percent in MAHB, with the remaining interest held by GIP and the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority.

“Through the formation of the consortium, reforms to the nation’s airports will be able to be implemented as soon as possible.

“MAHB’s investment requirements totalling an estimated RM10 billion over five years can be expedited given the consortium members’ strong financial positions,” he said.

He explained that MAHB has invested only about RM1.4 billion for its 39 airports within the last five years compared to its peers in Thailand and Indonesia, which have invested RM6.6 billion and RM12 billion, respectively.

“So it is high time. If we do not make any changes now, Malaysia will fall behind further in this region,” he said, adding that in the 10 years before the Covid-19 pandemic, Malaysia’s inbound growth was only about one percent per annum compared with its neighbours’ growth of eight percent per year.

He also said Malaysia’s long-haul routes to destinations such as London, Tokyo and Beijing fell from 33 in 2010 to only 22 in 2023. In comparison, Singapore and Thailand had 40 and 55, respectively.

- Bernama

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