Safety at KKIA always on DCA’s radar, says Abdul Rahim

KOTA KINABALU, Dec 21 — Deputy Transport Minister Datuk Abdul Rahim Bakri said safety standards at the Kota Kinabalu International Airport (KKIA) is constantly monitored by the Civil Aviation Department (DCA).

Refuting the claim by Global Upline Sdn Bhd (GUSB) that the KKIA was unsafe, he said the DCA will use the international standard and benchmark set by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO).

“When the airport was built, the government also used the services of an accredited consultant with vast experience in this area, namely, Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) Consultancy Services.

“The company also monitored the KLIA and Kuching International Airport,” he said in a statement to Bernama here today.

He said it was compulsory for every stage of construction to require the confirmation of the consultant as to having conformed to the construction design before the government approves payment to the building contractor.

Abdul Rahim, who is also the Member of Parliament for Kudat, said if all the requirements had been met, there was no reason for the airport to not be safe.

Last Tuesday, GUSB chief advisor Tan Sri Ting Pek Khiing said the company had stopped all construction works at the KKIA on December 17, and blamed the Transport Ministry for its failure to issue the Certificate of Practical Completion (CPC) to it.

This was after the company had purportedly completed works according to  section one of the Package 2 project at the airport on schedule.

Instead, Ting said the ministry issued a Certificate of Non-Compliance (CNC) and went on to allege that the KKIA runway was unsafe for any form of activities, as it was not certified as being complete.

He also said the ministry had refused to return a 50 per cent bank guarantee while failing to pay contract claims of RM113 million for upgrading works at Kuching International Airport and RM21 million for Labuan Airport, forcing GUSB to take legal action to reclaim the money.

Meanwhile, on Wednesday, the Transport Ministry refuted allegations that the KKIA runway is unsafe and explained that the DCA, the authority for airport standards and Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd, as the airport operator, confirmed that KKIA has fulfilled the standards set by the ICAO. — Bernama