All airport authorities through out the world have imposed airport tax. AirAsia (AA) was the only airline with the ability to owe airport tax and other charges to the tune of over RM132 million. When yours truly brought up the issue in Parliament a few years ago, AA finally settled it with a discount of RM25 million as “incentive” by the then Minister of Transport, in HERE.
Yours truly has also brought up the issue of the airport taxes paid by no-show (untraveled) passengers, which was not refunded and kept by AA. It must be noted that no-show (untraveled) passengers need not pay airport tax as they have not used the airport facilities.
On 23-11-2011 the Minister of Transport has confirmed that from 2002 to August 2011 AirAsia had kept airport tax of no-show (untraveled) passengers totaling RM6,432,697.00 and AirAsia X RM498,000 from November 2007 until November 2011. By now the figures should have been more than RM7 million. Please read the reply from Minister of Transport reply in HERE. Please also read related posting in HERE,
Yours truly has informed Parliament that all airlines are collecting agents for MAHB and have no right to retain any airport tax of no-show (untraveled) passengers and it should have been refunded automatically to the passengers concerned or handed to MAHB to handle it.
A dateline has been set for all unclaimed airport taxes of the no-show (untraveled) passengers kept by all airlines prior to 2012 to be handed over to the Government under the the provision of Unclaimed Money Act by 1-1-2013 and thereafter at the end of every subsequent year.
Airline has no right to retain and/or forfeit airport taxes paid by no-show (untraveled) passengers and treated them as its profits. The authority was correct in imposing such a condition that airlines had to hand over unclaimed airport tax paid by no-show (untraveled) passengers as provided under the Unclaimed Money Act.
Yours truly believes that after the dateline of 1-1-2013 AA and AirAsia X have not handed over the said unclaimed airport taxes to the Government. MAHB and/or Minister of Transport to explain why no action has been taken when AA and AirAsia X did not hand over the unclaimed airport paid to MAHB.
