KOTA KINABALU: Six AirAsia flights have been scheduled to arrive at Kota Kinabalu International Airport (KKIA) Terminal 1 (T1) starting 8.40pm tonight ahead of the low-cost-carrier operations moving from Terminal 2 (T2) tomorrow.

Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd chief operating officer Datuk Abd Hamid Mohd Ali said while the closure of T2 is at midnight, the flights are rerouted to T1 to avoid towing of the aircrafts.

“We will witness the first landing of AirAsia aircraft from Sandakan at 8.40pm, followed by 10.40pm arrival from Tawau, 11.05pm from Kuala Lumpur and Hong Kong, 12.45am from Hangzhou and 3.15am from Guangzhou,” he said when met by New Straits Times at the Malaysia Airports office at T1, here.

He said they have started the first Operational Readiness and Airport Transfer (ORAT) weekly meeting on September 2 this year following the decision to have AirAsia shifting operations to T1 from T2 effective December 1 to ensure smooth transfer.

“These meetings included the CIQ (Customs, Immigration and Quarantine) unit, the City Hall and Department of Civil Aviation (DCA), among others.

“We received cooperation from AirAsia and we are almost 100 percent ready… Check in counters and main offices are ready,” said Hamid.-nst