JURU: The upgrading of the Penang International Airport (PIA), announced under the 2018 Budget, is good news for the state as it will provide greater confidence to the people, the tourists and investors that the PIA is here to stay.
Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng, in expressing his joy over the good news, said it was an important announcement for Penang, and it would allay fears on the possibility of the PIA moving or closing down.
Lim however expressed hope that the upgrading would not merely cater to nine million passengers capacity but 12 million passengers capacity instead.
"The existing PIA has been upgraded to cater to 6.5 million passengers capacity by 2020, but we surpassed the target last year when we achieved 6.7 million passengers. That is four years in advance.
"If the upgrading is merely to cater to nine million passengers capacity, we fear that when it is completed in three or four years, we may have surpassed the target as well.
"As such, we are asking for upgrading to cater to 12 million passengers. Don't make Penangites ask for it repeatedly," he told newsmen when met during a Deepavali get-together at Perkampungan Juru here this morning.
Present were DAP adviser Lim Kit Siang and state DAP chairman Chow Kon Yeow.
Lim said with Qatar Airways, the No 1 airline company in the world, announcing that it would have direct flights between Penang and Doha next year, the announcement came timely.
"This means that those planning to go to any European, Middle East and African countries can now bypass Kuala Lumpur and flight directly from Penang.
"We expect the number of tourists to further increase then," he added.
Yesterday, Prime Minister and Finance Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, in his budget speech, announced the upgrading of the international airports in Penang and Langkawi, and domestic airports in Kota Baru, Mukah and Sandakan.
Meanwhile, Lim said while he was disappointed that the Goods and Services Tax (GST) was not abolished, at least services provided by local authorities would not be subjected