TAWAU: The Tawau Airport terminal building here will be upgraded to be more spacious and fully equipped with air conditioning, said Transport Minister Anthony Loke.
He said the government has shortlisted 16 companies and is in the process of appointing the main contractor.
He said the expansion works would be completed in three years.
Loke said he was aware of the overcrowding issue caused by increased tourist arrivals at the airport, which is a getaway to destinations such as Semporna.
“The Tawau Airport capacity was originally 1.5 million passengers annually, with an average peak hour of 400 passengers, but it has exceeded the capacity. In 2023, it recorded the entry of 1.71 million passengers. The annual passenger growth is expected to improve because there are many direct flights from China.
“Cargo movement also increased by 13,000 tonnes last year compared to only 4,000 tonnes handled at Tawau Airport in 2019. This cargo is mostly fresh products such as seafood. We see quite a lot of potential which is why the government agreed to upgrade,“ he told reporters after checking the Tawau Airport today.
Loke estimated the cost of upgrading the airport at RM130 million. The project is expected to start early next year and be completed within three years.
“I see that the current terminal building is old, and the condition is not very good, besides various facilities need to be improved in order to improve the image of Tawau (airport),“ he said.
Loke added that the airport’s floor area will increase from 15,800 square metres to 23,500 square metres, check-in counters will increase from 12 to 20, and the terminal will be fully equipped with air conditioning.
“When completed, the capacity of the airport will increase from 1.5 million to 2.5 million passengers annually and the (airport) area will be expanded by almost 50 per cent,“ he added.
The minister said the area to be expanded involves the left and right sides of the terminal building, as well as changing and beautifying its interior landscape.
Loke also instructed the management of Malaysian Airport Holding Berhad (MAHB) to install air coolers in the passenger waiting area, including the check-in area, while the airport is upgrading.
“In addition, aspects of signage in the airport area including the use of languages such as Mandarin and Arabic also need to be improved. I have also instructed MAHB to deploy staff fluent in foreign languages such as Mandarin and act as customer service (officers) to provide assistance to tourists,“ he added.
He said the airport upgrade would allow more tourists to enter Sabah and boost the economy of the people, and the state.
