GEORGE TOWN, June 13:
If the Kulim international airport in Kedah is approved, the Penang government will ask for at least another two airports in the state, its Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng said today.
This was because the Penang International Airport (PIA) has reached its maximum capacity.
Lim was responding to questions on Kedah Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Mukhriz Mahathir’s proposal for an international airport in Kulim, which meant Kedah would have a second international airport after the existing one in Langkawi.
The other airport in Kedah is the Sultan Abdul Halim airport in Kepala Batas.
Mukhriz was quoted as saying yesterday that there was a large 600ha of land available in Kulim and the airport could be equipped with two runways.
While Mukhriz said the plan was still in its preliminary stage, Lim said he believed that the proposal was already in its advanced stage and was likely to get approval.
Lim said if land scarcity was a hindrance for another airport to be built in Penang, then there was an option of land reclamation as Penang is surrounded by sea and there was a provision for that to be done.
“Bear in mind that Penang is the largest recipient of Foreign Direct Investment in Malaysia as said by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak and the figure stands at RM19.7 billion from 2010 to 2013,” he told a press conference in his office in Komtar here today.
Lim also reiterated that the excuse of the scarcity of land in Penang that rendered another airport in the state impossible was an effort by certain parties to try to restrict and stifle the growth of Penang.
“To be frank, there is no need for another airport in Kedah as there are already two airports there and Kedah is very near to Penang. Now, Perak also wants another airport. This is a sheer waste of money,” he said, while also citing the RM250 million airport in Malacca which he described as being a white elephant.
Lim was saying this after handing over a cash aid of RM20,000 to the late Teoh Cheng Cheng’s family who died on Saturday resulting in a tussle over her body due to the confusion over her religious status.
Mukhriz yesterday told reporters in Alor Setar that he had already written to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak on the idea.
He was quoted as saying that the airport could cater to the increase in flights in the northern region.
He also hoped the new airport would be able to boost economic growth in the northern states, in particular Kedah.
The Rakyat Post
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