KUCHING: The proposed new Lawas airport in Sundar, which construction work is expected to start by the first quarter of next year will be user friendly, utilising green energy and would benefit the people of Lawas and its surrounding area.
Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hasan said that the airport will serve a bigger catchment especially to other parts of Sarawak, Sabah, Brunei and also Indonesia.
“The project came at the time when there would be few other mega projects to be implemented in this region,” he said.
He said this when officiating at the closing of the two-day value assessment lab for the proposed new Lawas airport in Sundar.
Awang Tengah, who is also the Bukit Sari, also said mega projects such as Northern Coastal Highway (NCH), Sarawak Sabah Link Road (SSLR) and Trans Borneo Highway (LTB) would be complemented by the new airport.
“Regional Corridor Development Authority (RECODA) has completed the study for the proposed new deep-sea port in Lawas while my ministry is now in the midst of completing the masterplan for the development of the industrial terminal which is part of the strategies to develop the petrochemical hub in Lawas.
“Both these studies aim to identify the critical success factors and the ecosystem to support the proposed growth and development of the petrochemical industry in the region,” he said.
Hence, Awang Tengah added that Lawas needed a bigger airport to accommodate the influx of both the business and leisure tourists to the town to participate in its economic and tourism activities.
“As such, this new airport is vital as it will serve as the catalyst for economic growth in the northern region,” said Awang Tengah, who is also the chairman of Northern Region Development Authority (NRDA).
RECODA is the implementing agency for this proposed new Lawas airport and its completion is expected to be by the end of 2026.
Lawas is currently served by the existing Short Take-Off and Landing Airport (STOLport) which has been in operation since 1961.
Earlier, RECODA chief executive officer, Datuk Ismawi Ismuni when officiating at the opening of the lab on Friday (Aug 12) said the lab was important to align everyone involved in the project so that they would be on the same page to optimize the project design and cost without affecting the quality of the new airport.
“Ultimately, we want to deliver the project timely, with the most optimum cost without compromising on the quality for the benefit of the people.
“The outcome of this value assessment lab will be used as the basis to prepare the project brief including a needs statement before the detailed design can be carried out and to avoid project overlapping,” he said.
Meanwhile the two-day value assessment was attended by consultants and officers from various relevant government agencies, the lab sought to gather input and feedback on the planning and system design, architectural works, mechanical and electrical works for this project to achieve better value and optimal cost.
