MALAYSIA Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB) is at the “finalisation stage” where “operational details are being ironed out” in regard to the installation of auto bag drop (ABD) facilities at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) and KLIA2.

MAHB said this on Facebook a day after AirAsia Group CEO Tony Fernandes slammed MAHB for alleged failure to deliver on its promise to have the facilities in place by this month.

Fernandes claimed on Facebook that Malaysia Airports had promised to provide 30 ABD machines by July but had not done so due to lack of funds.

He compared MAHB unfavourably with the Senai Airport authority, which was “hardworking” and which had done a “fantastic job”, and urged MAHB chairman Syed Zainol Anwar Syed Putra Jamalullail and chief strategy officer Azli Mohamed to sort out the mess.

MAHB today said ongoing discussions with major airline partners on the subject were “progressing well” and that it had met with AirAsia last week.

“We are at the finalisation stage where a few operational details are being ironed out such as aligning growth projections to ensure optimal and effective utilisation of the ABDs at both KLIA and KLIA2.

“We are implementing various efficiency measures under our KUL Hub strategic pillar whereby the implementation of ABD is one such measure.

“We are structuring a plan for the implementation of ABDs based on utilisation by the airlines,” MAHB said on its  Facebook page. – July 10, 2017.