KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia Airports Bhd has to date forked out RM76.5 million for repair works at KLIA2 since the airport opened last year May, said Transport Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai.
He said the Independent Safety Committee involved with auditing the airport’s construction problems will present its final paper at the end of this month.
The Transport Ministry had established an Independent Safety Committee for KLIA2 comprising experts from the Department of Civil Aviation, Works Ministry, and others to conduct the auditing process.
Liow said the committee, set up in January 2015, was tasked with auditing and looking into parking issues, as well as soil retention at the taxiway and runway.
The committee is also examining cracks at the main terminal building which had raised safety concerns at KLIA2.
Liow said the government had two months ago set up a special team to implement suggestions made by the auditing team.
"The special team will carry out the suggestions from the audit from the end of October. They are expected to submit a detailed report in six months," he said in a written reply at the Dewan Rakyat today.
The special team will also be included in several government agencies such as the National Audit Agency, Transport Ministry, Finance Ministry, Works Ministry Economic Planning Unit, Prime Minister's Department, as well as the Malaysian Anti Corruption Commission.
Liow was replying to Mohamed Hanipa Maidin (Amanah-Sepang) on whether the government had conducted an audit on KLIA2 as pledged by the Transport Ministry, and on when it is expected to be completed.
Hanipa has also asked, as of Septmeber 2015, the total cost incurred by MAHB to carry out repair works on the defects in KLIA2.
Budget carrier AirAsia operates out of KLIA2, as well as Malindo Air, Cebu Pacific Air, Tiger Airways, Lion Air and Mandala Airlines.
The airport terminal, which has a capacity of 45 million passengers annually, was built to replace the Low-Cost Carrier Terminal near the Kuala Lumpur International Airport cargo centre.
The project that began construction in 2009 had several delays due to design changes and extensive earthworks.