Kitingan calls for new KK airport after runway closure

 The STAR president says expanding Kota Kinabalu airport's terminal capacity will not solve its dependence on a single runway.

STAR president Jeffrey Kitingan called for a study into whether a second runway could be built at KKIA, along with other short-term measures while a longer-term solution is developed. (Bernama pic)

PETALING JAYA:

The Sabah government should build a new international airport to overcome Kota Kinabalu airport’s dependence on a single runway, says Keningau MP Jeffrey Kitingan.

The Parti Solidariti Tanah Airku (STAR) president said the Papar-Kimanis area should be considered, with the eventual site determined after technical, environmental, economic and accessibility studies, Daily Express reported.

His call comes after Kota Kinabalu’s only runway was temporarily closed for rectification works last Thursday, disrupting at least 20 flights. The runway reopened nine hours later at 11.30pm after repair works and final safety checks.

Kitingan said the airport’s annual capacity of nine million passengers had already been exceeded in 2019, when it handled about 9.4 million passengers.

He called for a study into whether a second runway could be built, along with other short-term measures while a longer-term solution is developed.

The federal government said in 2024 that it had no plans to build a new airport in Sabah, with transport minister Loke Siew Fook saying the priority was to make better use of Kota Kinabalu airport and expand its capacity. - FMT