The federal government has yet to make any decisions regarding the construction of the proposed Kulim airport, said Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow.
He said, according to the Transport Ministry, the project is still under consideration due to the country's financial position and the priority of other projects which need to be implemented.
However, the federal government remains open to any proposals from any sector to assist in planning and building the economy, including the Kulim airport, Chow said.
"The government's stand is to support the logistic industry in Kedah, therefore the plan to build the airport was presented at the National Physical Planning Council for review.
"The Kulim airport has been proposed before, according to the Transport Ministry," Chow told reporters at a press conference in Komtar today.
"The government, via the Economic Planning Unit, in the Prime Minister's Department, had appointed KPMG Consulting and Risk Management Sdn Bhd to study the development of a new international airport in the north.
"The outcome of the study was presented to the Economic Council on Dec 14, 2015.
"As such, based on the country's financial position and priority of other projects, the federal government has yet to decide on whether to build the Kulim airport," Chow stressed.
The proposal has been shot down by various parties including Penang Gerakan who has disputed Putrajaya's approval of the Kulim International Airport, saying the plan will deal a serious blow to air traffic figures for the Penang International Airport.
Critics also queried why the Kulim airport was necessary when the Penang International Airport is located only 50km away.
Upgrading Penang's airport
Chow said the Penang International Airport currently has the annual capacity for 6.5 million passengers.
But the number of tourists for Penang has gone up to 7.8 million passengers, 120 percent beyond the airport's annual capacity.
"The government is committed to resolve the problem for Penang, the Transport Minister is currently considering several options to upgrade the airport," Chow said.
"We are considering widening the space for full-fledged and low-cost airlines to operate in the existing terminal.
"This extra space would allow the Penang airport to run at an annual capacity of 12 million passengers, "he added.
Chow said to fund the upgrading project, the Transport and Finance Ministries and Malaysian Airports (MAHB) are studying a suitable development model and payment method so that this upgrading project can be implemented in the most cost effective manner.
"MAHB has appointed a consultant on Feb 15 via an open tender process, and the consultant is carrying out design works and various other studies," Chow said.
"If approved, the upgrading project is expected to begin in June 2020 and completed in. 36 months," he added. - Mkini
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