KOTA KINABALU: Chief minister Hajiji Noor says there is no pressing need to move the Kota Kinabalu International Airport (KKIA) away from Sabah’s capital city.
“I believe the current airport can still be used for another seven to 10 years. Of course, in the long term, we would need to move,” Hajiji told FMT in an exclusive interview.
He said no decision had been made on a location for the new airport, and that the state government had yet to receive a detailed report on the matter from the Sabah Economic Planning Unit (Upen).
In June 2022, Qhazanah Sabah Bhd (QSB), the state government’s strategic investment arm, signed a memorandum of understanding with property developer Berjaya Land Bhd to explore relocating KKIA to Kimanis, situated approximately 60km south of Kota Kinabalu.
According to the Borneo Post, a feasibility study was conducted and its results submitted to Upen in July last year. QSB chairman Yusof Yacob was reported as saying it had received a positive response.
Recently, the Tuaran Chinese Chamber of Commerce and former federal minister Abdul Rahman Dahlan, who is also the deputy Umno chief for Sabah, were reported as suggesting that the new airport be built in Tuaran, 33km north of Kota Kinabalu.
However, Hajiji maintained that the wide and flat lands of Kimanis present a better option as it would allow the new airport to operate with minimal disturbance to surrounding villages.
“In Kimanis, we also have the Pan Borneo Highway and railway. It will only take people about 30 to 40 minutes to go from Kimanis to Kota Kinabalu.”
The Gabungan Rakyat Sabah chairman said he was not sold on relocating the airport to Tuaran as it could cause damage to the area’s mountainous terrain and pristine beaches.
As Sabah’s chief minister, Hajiji said he would need to consider not only the socioeconomic impact of the relocation project but also environmental and ecological issues that might arise.
“We have to consider its long-term (effects). Will the new airport destroy the ecosystem in the area? We cannot look at it from a business perspective only. It is not just about who will be gaining the most out of it,” he said.
Hajiji also dismissed calls for the airport to be relocated to allow for skyscrapers to be built in the state capital.
He said high-rise buildings might not be feasible given the region’s susceptibility to earthquakes. In 2015, 18 people died after a 6.0 magnitude earthquake hit Ranau, located 106km from Kota Kinabalu.
“We do not really need buildings that are too tall. Sabah has earthquakes. In the whole of Malaysia, only our state has it,” he said. - FMT
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