Friday, June 30, 2023

We’re not revamping Subang airport to replace KLIA, assures Loke


FMT:

We’re not revamping Subang airport to replace KLIA, assures Loke


Transport minister Loke Siew Fook says the Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport will never replace KLIA given their respective sizes and passenger capacities.



Loke Siew Fook speaking at the launch of MYAirline’s student discount programme at KLIA Terminal 2 in Sepang.


SEPANG: The government’s move to revamp Subang Airport as a premium city airport is not to have it replace Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA), says transport minister Loke Siew Fook.

He said there was “no way” the airport, also called the Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport (SAAS), could replace KLIA given their respective sizes and passenger capacities.

“(In) Subang airport, our plan is to go up to eight million passengers per annum, but in KLIA, we’re talking about 50 million (passengers per annum) or more,” he said.

“Subang is meant to be a premium city airport. That is a market niche we’re hoping to build.

“It’s more to attract business passengers and will include a hub for private jets,” he said at the launch of the MYAirline student discount programme at KLIA Terminal 2 here.

In February, Loke announced plans to turn the airport into a premium city airport and aviation hub as part of the new Subang Airport Rejuvenation Plan (SARP).

He was reported to have said that the SARP, proposed by Malaysia Airports Holdings (MAHB), was presented to the Cabinet on Jan 31 prior to its approval.

Loke said the plan would focus on business aviation, regional commercial flight operations, and other commercial flights.

He added that the government had several policy tools to help make SAAS a premium city airport.

“Firstly, we will limit the types of aircraft. Then, we will limit the type of destinations, and finally, in terms of which particular airport and which slot to be given, all that is within the control of the government through airport authorities,” he said.

“And it’s not just about the airport. We also want to build a maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) hub in Subang so the aviation industry (in Malaysia) can grow to not just being an operator but also a hub for maintenance and repairs.”

Making Subang an MRO hub would create many high-income job opportunities, Loke said.

Last Monday, Malaysia Aviation Group (MAG) managing director Izham Ismail was reported to have said that upgrading SAAS would inevitably draw some flights away from KLIA.

Izham claimed that changes in flight traffic could weaken KLIA’s position as the country’s main airport hub and called for appropriate measures to manage that possibility.


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