Speech by Parliamentary Opposition Leader, DAP Secretary-General and MP for Tanjong, Lim Kit Siang, in the Dewan Rakyat on the second 1993 supplementary estimates on the Ministry of Transport on Thursday, 29th July 1993
Has the government made a study “whether it is not cheaper and faster” to extend the existing facilities of the Subang International Airport instead of building a new RM20 billion Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Sepang in meet the country’s needs?
Firstly, I wish to ask whether before deciding on building a RM20 billion new Kuala Lumpur International Airport, a study had been made whether it is not cheaper and faster to extend the Subang International Airport facilities to cope with the needs of civil aviation for the next decade; whether Malaysia has the air traffic capacity, whether passenger or cargo, to operate multi-airport systems like Tokyo, London, Paris and Mew York; and the outcome of such a study.
It has been reported that Subang International Airport faces land shortage for significant expansion. Surely this could overcome firstly, by the acquisition of more neighbouring land, including land presently occupied b-y RMAF and secondly relocating to another area non-civil aviation operations like:
– military (RMAF);
– Maintenance related (MAS heavy maintenance and AIROD;
– General Aviation;
– Police Air Wing.
Secondly, what is the rationale in the Government spending hundreds of millions of ringgit in upgrading Subang Airport facilities as in building the Third Terminal, which costs about RM200 million another project which was awarded without open tender – when the Government is going to spend RM20 billion for a new Kuala Lumpur-International Airport in Sepang, to be opened in 1997 in time for the Commonwealth Games in 1998?
Doesn’t this indicate that there is something very wrong with infrastructure planning in Malaysia?
Thirdly, is it true that even with the completion of the upgrading of the facilities at Subang Airport, i.e. the Third Terminal with associated apron and improvements to the two existing terminals and the radar system, its capacity is to handle 14.5 million passengers a year and 135,000 annual aircraft movements.
Passenger traffic at Subang International Airport had been growing by an average of 16.3 per cent per year, and at this rate of growth, the level of 14.5 million passengers per year would be reached in 1995.
This means that even -when the Third Terminal and other upgrading improvements are completed, the Subang International Airport would have reached maximum capacity in handling passenger and air traffic. What type of forward planning is this?
Fourthly, as I understand it, the present, intention of the government if to operate all international and domestic air services from the KLIA in Sepang. What is the government’s plan then for the Subang Airport and the Sungai Besi airports. If the Government abandons the Sungai Besi airport by relocating the RMAF to Subang, who would redevelop the over 200 acres of airfield operational land, which would cost, close to a billion ringgit.