KUCHING: The issue regarding the poor condition of Kuching International Airport and its shoddy facilities is not new.
Transport Minister Datuk Seri Lee Kim Shin brought it to the attention of the Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB), the airport operator, last year.
The same issue was brought to the attention of Malaysia’s Transport Minister Anthony Loke in January, when Lee led a delegation to the ministry’s office in Putrajaya.
“By right, they should have come out with the airport optimisation plan for Kuching International Airport as well as the estimated cost to upgrade it.
“We have already followed up the issue with them and will be having a meeting soon. We want to know what are their plans and how much the upgrade will cost. Not only for KIA but other main airports in Sarawak,” Lee told New Sarawak Tribune when contacted.
He urged MAHB to act promptly to meet the increasing number of arrivals in Sarawak this year.
KIA, which was designed to handle five million passengers, is in dire need of an upgrade. It handled some 5.96 million passengers in 2019 before the COVID-19 pandemic.
Complaints on the run-down airport had been posted on social media; the latest one went viral earlier this week.
A Facebook user said the poor conditions of the KIA, with insufficient seats, poor lighting, and a cramped waiting area, would not leave a good impression on travellers leaving Kuching or Sarawak. KIA required a major facelift.
With the economy opening up, Minister of Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Datuk Seri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah said Sarawak Tourism Board and Sarawak Convention Bureau had been promoting Sarawak aggressively.
“Thus, we are expecting a large number of tourists to Sarawak, especially through the main gateway of the KIA.
‘`Apart from upgrading works, there is a need to re-plan KIA so that international visitors entering and departing through the airport can have access to washrooms, cafes, and other retail shops (as these are located at the domestic departure hall),” he said.
Abdul Karim added Sarawak was well-positioned to be a tourism hub in Borneo as it had tremendous growth potential in terms of tourist arrivals. Therefore, MAHB must act promptly to resolve all these issues to provide a pleasant experience for all tourists and visitors.
Apart from the main airports, Lee said his ministry would also discuss the need to improve the short take-off and landing airports (STOLport) in the state with the federal government as they were critical hubs for vital supplies and services.
Air travel, he said, provided the fastest access to some of the remote areas in Sarawak.
KIA was redeveloped in 2006; the RM620 million overall airport expansion programme included the upgrading of the terminal layout, an extension of the existing terminal and car parks.
The runway was extended from 2454m to 3780m to accommodate 20 aircraft movements per hour while the floor area was increased from 20,400 sq m to 46,500 sq m to eliminate peak hour congestion.
MAHB also introduced a two-tier terminal operation concept with a two-tier forecourt road system to improve passenger flow at the airport.
Domestic and international passengers were also separated in the departure halls.
