MALAYSIA AIRPORTS TO MAKE KLIA MORE ENVIRONMENT-FRIENDLY

From Lim Chong

BOSTON, Sept 24 (Bernama) -- Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB) is
taking the next step to make the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) more
environment-friendly by targeting carbon neutrality.

Its managing director, Bashir Ahmad, said the process had already
started with strategies implemented to cut down greenhouse gas emissions,
including programmes to manage waste and reduce the use of vehicles.

With the worldwide concern over global warning, adopting the "green"
approach made good business sense, he said, adding that energy efficiency could
also help to reduce costs.

Bashir said MAHB also gained non-airport revenue through the planting of
oil palm in about 3,200 hectares around the KLIA area, with the subsidiary
involved recording a profit of RM20 million last year.


"We are still expecting some profit this year though the prices of palm oil
have gone down," he said in an interview after making a presentation on "Built
to be Green: The KLIA experience" at the Airports Council International (ACI)
general assembly, world conference and exhibition being held here from Sept 21
to 24.

Bashir, a member of the ACI governing council, said KLIA has continuously
been awarded the Green Globe certification since 2004 and it remained the first
and only airport in the world to be certified.

Green Globe, an international benchmarking and performance improvement
system, requires high standards which not many airports are able to qualify, he
said.

Other initiatives taken include Project Green Planet to promote
environmental responsibility among local and foreign travellers at KLIA, and
launch of the KLIA Green Park, an educational research area based on the
varieties of plants available.

For its business, MAHB expects a growth of 5.5 percent in passenger volume
for this year, which will still be higher than the industry average of four
percent, according to Bashir.

"We saw good growth in the first seven months of this year but after that,
there was less growth," he said, adding that the company, which is managing 39
airports, also expected to experience growth next year.

Bashir remained optimistic about the outlook of the global airport
industry, saying that airports generally have not been too badly affected by the
current economic difficulties.

"Confidence is still there in the industry, especially for the long term,"
he said.

MAHB has been chosen to host the 2009 ACI general assembly, world
conference and exhibition which will be held in Kuala Lumpur from Nov 2
to
5.

"This is a recognition from the world airport community, which will further
promote Malaysia as a tourist destination," he said.
-- BERNAMA