THE proposed Kulim International Airport (KXP) will pose a challenge to the Penang International Airport (PIA) and not complement it when the new airport is developed in the state of Kedah, Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow said at the state legislative assembly sitting at Dewan Sri Pinang today.
Chow said based on feasibility studies done by two consultants – KPMG Corporate Advisory on behalf of the Economic Planning Unit (EPU) and KLIA Consultancy for the Kedah government, the establishment of KXP would bring about negative impact on PIA in particular and Penang in general.
“The Penang airport may even have to close down as the proposed Kulim airport is newer, larger and more sophisticated,” Chow said in reply to a question by A. Kumarasen (PH – Batu Uban).
“The Kulim airport will draw companies which use the Northern Corridor for its cargo services, if it is built by the Federal Government.
“It will reduce the usage of the cargo facilities already in place at the Penang International Airport.
“The loss of investors who may switch to Kulim and also a big possibility to other countries will reduce foreign direct investment (FDI) to Penang.
“You tell me whether I should be worried or not.”
Chow, who is also the Padang Kota assemblyman, said Penang was in the process of appointing a consultant to do a feasibility study on the construction of a ‘northern corridor international airport’ on the last quarter of this year.
Chow said there were a few options to look at.
One is to expand the current Penang International Airport, which has surpassed its capacity of 6.5 million passengers to cater to 20 to 30 million passengers.
Another option is to build a new airport at one of the yet to be reclaimed islands under the Penang South Reclamation (PSR) project.
The third option is a proposal of creating a “Kulim plus Penang” synergy by having both airports sharing infrastructure.
Chow believes this proposal would still not have a good impact on Penang as the cargo and possibly passenger traffic would be divided.
Story by K.H. Ong
Pix by Adleena Rahayu Ahmad Radzi
Video by Ahmad Adil Muhamad