KOTA KINABALU – The second feasibility study for the relocation of Sabah’s international airport from Kota Kinabalu to Kimanis is almost finalised, said Qhazanah Sabah Bhd chairman Datuk Yusof Yacob.
He said the company is however unable to disclose more information on its plans, adding that it still has to be scrutinised by the state cabinet before the relocation can even take place.
“I cannot speak much about the relocation. The project is still at an early stage. I will announce more when the time comes, but personally, Kota Kinabalu needs a new airport.
“At present, the airport capacity is only around nine million passengers.
“With the boom of Sabah’s tourism after Covid-19, we should be prepared,” he told reporters at a special media function here yesterday.
Earlier, Qhazanah Sabah sealed a memorandum of understanding with Berjaya Land Bhd for the purpose of relocating Kota Kinabalu International Airport (KKIA) from Petagas here to Kimanis, some 59 km away.
The MoU was for the purpose of carrying out a feasibility study.
Qhazanah Sabah and Berjaya Land had received the nod from the state to study the relocation of the international airport.
This came in view of how up to 36 million passengers will go through the newly proposed airport annually by 2035.
Expansion of the current airport in Putatan will see the current capacity of 9.4 million passengers a year increase to 18 million passengers. A larger airport is required before the current one becomes too congested.
In another development, the six-month trial of Qhazanah Sabah’s electric bus programme has ended, and the state-owned company is currently gathering data from the trial.
The programme has already exceeded its six-month trial period as it was launched on June 22 last year.
“We are in the midst of finalising the data from the trial and engaging with stakeholders like the Commercial Vehicle Licensing Board and Kota Kinabalu City Hall for the purpose of expanding the programme,” he added. – The Vibes, May 22, 2023
