Friday 29 Mar 2024
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KUALA LUMPUR (March 14): The RM440 million expansion and upgrading project of the Sultan Ismail Petra Airport in Kota Bahru, Kelantan has experienced a delay of 25.23%, said Transport Minister Anthony Loke Siew Fook. 

As of Feb 25, Loke said the progress of the project that started in the first half of 2021 was at 18.19%, compared to the 43.42% initially targeted. 

Despite the delay, the Seremban member of parliament said the contractor has given a commitment to fully complete the project in September 2024. 

“This delay was due to the lack of local and foreign labour on site following the Covid-19 virus outbreak. The ministry is working with the contractor to resolve this issue,” Loke said during the oral question and answer session in the Dewan Rakyat on Tuesday (March 14). 

The government is implementing the project to improve the airport’s facilities and increase the airport terminal capacity from 1.5 million passengers per annum to four million passengers per annum. 

WCT Holdings Bhd's wholly-owned subsidiary, WCT Bhd, bagged the contract from the Ministry of Transport in March 2021. The construction company said work would commence in April 2021, with completion in April 2024.

On Tuesday, Loke said the Sultan Ismail Petra Airport is currently the third busiest domestic airport after the Miri Airport and the Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport in Subang Jaya, with a total flight frequency of 136 times a week.

He said the number of passengers recorded at the Sultan Ismail Petra Airport has increased in 2022 to more than 1.38 million. 

It recorded more than 1.8 million passengers in 2019, but dropped in 2020 and 2021 to 710,000 and 500,000 passengers respectively, following travel restrictions by the government to curb the Covid-19 outbreak. 

Edited ByLam Jian Wyn
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