KUALA LUMPUR – Putrajaya must reconsider any intention to dilute Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd’s (MAHB) ownership of Subang airport to any private entity, said the national airport operator’s non-executive chairman Datuk Seri Zambry Abdul Kadir.
In a statement today, Zambry said he was taking seriously the reports of proposals to take over the airport, formally known as the Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport, by the private sector and urged the government to review such plans as it involved a strategic asset.
The Vibes reported on Thursday that real estate and construction company WCT Holdings Bhd, via its subsidiary Subang Skypark Sdn Bhd, proposed to acquire and operate the airport until 2092.
The proposal had been presented to the Transport Ministry with an estimated RM3.7 billion in initial investment, of which RM1.7 billion will be for the passenger terminal and executive jet terminal, set to open in 2027.
The remaining RM2 billion will be spent over the next 10 years to develop an airport city.
MAHB, said Zambry, should be allowed to execute its Subang Airport Regeneration Masterplan as the airport operator had “an excellent track record in operating 39 airports nationwide and one in Istanbul, Turkey.
“In fact, some international airports in Malaysia, as well as that in Turkey, have received global recognition in terms of service as well as passenger growth.”
The Transport Ministry in a statement Friday confirmed receiving the proposal, saying that the plan was still in the preliminary phase and a final decision will have to be finalised by cabinet.
WCT Holdings, on the other hand, clarified that it proposed a “re-concession” and not acquisition of the airport. – The Vibes, May 10, 2021
