SHAH ALAM, 16 June: Penang questions the need to build an international airport in Kedah, as proposed by the Chief Minister of Kedah, Datuk Seri Muhkriz Mahathir.
Instead, the Penang Chief Minister, Lim Guan Eng, said that the focus should be given to the existing northern international airport located on the island.
He said that the Penang International Airport should first be upgraded with 2 runways, a fully-Integrated air cargo facility, as well as to establish a maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) hub
“Penang has no objection to a new international airport costing easily more than RM 2 billion being built in Kulim, Kedah, if the Penang International Airport is first upgraded.
“With the present overcrowding, a further expansion of the Penang International Airport is now urgently needed. Land can be reclaimed on the south of the Penang International airport and the necessary provision has been made for an additional 300-500 acres for reclamation where necessary,” he said in a statement.
Previously, Mukhriz claimed that the construction of the airport in Kedah is needed to be a gateway to northern states and south Thailand.
He said that the project is not a waste, like the proposed construction of the underwater sea tunnel and three additional major highway projects in the Penang costing a total of RM6.3 billion.
“How can building roads to improve connectivity for the convenience of the public be a waste of money?
“To follow his logic, then the Sultan Abdul Halim Mu’adzam Shah or the Penang 2nd Bridge costing RM4.5 billion should also not be built as it is a waste of money,” Guan Eng said.
Guan Eng, who is also the DAP Secretary-General, added that Mukhriz’s attack is a desperate attempt to divert attention from the impracticality of spending billions of ringgit on a new international airport in Kulim.
“Due to the high costs involved, building a new international airport from scratch is not a decision to be taken lightly or else the people are left with the heavy expense of building a while elephant.
“Malacca’s RM250 million airport is good example of such a white elephant where it is now an empty and unused airport,” he added.
NS
