KUALA LUMPUR: In line with the government's aim of transforming Malaysia into a tourism hub in the Asean region, budget carrier
AirAsia Bhd feels that the government should allocate more funds to the Department of Civil Aviation Malaysia (DCA Malaysia) in the upcoming Budget 2013.

Chief Executive Officer of AirAsia, Aireen Omar, said with air travel becoming a very crucial driver of the country's tourism, more funds for DCA Malaysia would boost the department's capabilities in handling Malaysia's growing air traffic.

"Airlines from Malaysia, among them AirAsia, bring a lot of traffic to the region and Malaysia," she told Bernama in an interview.

Prime Minister cum Finance Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak is scheduled to table Budget 2013 in Parliament on Sept 28.

Aireen said AirAsia's pilots are having difficulties with air traffic control at Malaysian airports, and the issue becomes more persistent with the ever increasing flight movements at the airports during peak periods.

She added that the government should consider introducing a system to monitor the landing period of planes according to airlines to prevent delays, like what is happening in Singapore, Indonesia and the Phillippines.

"We do not want the same to happen in Malaysia, and maybe through the system, we can ensure a smooth and efficient aviation industry," she said.

Malaysia registered 24.7 million tourist arrivals last year with about RM58.3 billion in receipts.

For the first six months of 2012, a total of 11.6 million tourists visited Malaysia, a growth of 2.4 per cent over the same period last year.

Total tourism receipts for the first half of this year also rose, generating RM26.8 billion in revenue, up four per cent over the same period in 2011. -- BERNAMA