GEORGE TOWN: The Penang government is still pursuing studies for a second airport in the state, even though it did not receive any funds from Northern Corridor Implementation Authority (NCIA).
Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow said the plan is to build the airport on one of the three Penang South Reclamation (PSR) islands, as part of the long term plan to support the growth of passengers in the future.
“We have to accept the fact that there is no more land in Penang to build a new airport ... and it is impossible to expand the runway (at the current airport) without having to acquire the entire Free Industrial Zone.
“We would like to venture into proposing the new airport at one of the three reclaimed islands as one of our options, besides Batu Maung,“ he told a press conference, here, today.
According to Chow, a study was also conducted to support future growth of air passengers in the island.
He said the existing Penang International Airport (PIA) passenger arrival, at around 6.5 million to 16 million passengers per year, is expanding to 20-30 million passengers per year in the future.
“We will study if Penang needs a new airport, beyond 30 years from now. And if there is a need, where exactly should it be located,“ he added.
When asked about Kedah’s proposal to build an international airport in Kulim, Chow who is also the assemblyman for Padang Kota, said the state government has no objection with the idea as it was told that the airport will be used only as a cargo airport.
“Is it feasible to build a cargo airport? A study has to be done to answer that question. Also Kedah Mentri Besar, Mukhriz Mahathir once said that PIA could not cope with cargo, so the Kulim airport has to be built. We have never had such complaints in Penang,“ he said.
Meanwhile, Chow said regarding Pan Island Link Highway (PIL), the state government has held the final meeting with the Department of Enviroment and is currently waiting for a decision on the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) application for PIL. — Bernama
