Kitingan calls for new KK airport after runway closure
The STAR president says expanding Kota Kinabalu airport's terminal capacity will not solve its dependence on a single runway.
Sabah MP Jeffrey Kitingan, the president of Parti Solidariti Tanah Airku (STAR), has called for a comprehensive study to explore the possibility of building a second runway at Kota Kinabalu International Airport (KKIA). The call for action comes after Kota Kinabalu airport's sole runway was temporarily shut down for rectification works, disrupting at least 20 flights.
Kitingan urged the government to consider the Papar-Kimanis area as a potential location for the new airport, with the final decision to be made after thorough technical, environmental, economic, and accessibility assessments.
Kitingan pointed out that Kota Kinabalu airport's annual passenger capacity of nine million has already been surpassed in 2019, with the airport handling around 9.4 million passengers. The starstruck advocate for a dual-pronged approach to tackle the issue, combining long-term solutions with short-term measures. While the federal government has stated that it has no plans to construct a new airport in Sabah, Minister Loke Siew Fook emphasized the importance of optimizing the existing airport and expanding its capacity as the top priority.
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Also reported by 1 other outlet
- Kitingan calls for new KK airport after runway closure freemalaysiatoday.com
