MAHB welcomes proposal to extend Tioman Airport runway

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad (MAHB) welcomes Berjaya Group executive chairman Tan Sri Vincent Tan's proposal to extend the airport runway on Tioman Island.
Its managing director Datuk Badlisham Ghazali said a similar proposal was raised during the previous government's administration but it was not possible as there was no feasible site.
"There is no suitable location unless we work on land reclamation ... as far as we know this was not done because of its significant impact on the environment and from the environmental impact assessment (EIA) report it would not be approved.
"However I welcome the proposal. An entrepreneur may be more innovative (building the landing strip) in getting bigger aircraft to land in Tioman," he said when met by reporters after a meeting with the Council of Eminent Persons (CEP) here today.
Earlier Tan reportedly said that the group was submitting an application to the government to construct a bigger runway on the island resort estimated to cost between RM1.1 billion and RM1.2 billion which would be financed by the company.
A proposal for the runway construction on Tioman Island was earlier raised in 2003 but the plan was cancelled in 2009 for fear the project will have an adverse impact on the environment. — Bernama