GEORGE TOWN: The National Physical Planning Council (NPPC), chaired by Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, has merely approved in principle a proposal for the Kulim International Airport (KXP) development project, said Transport Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong.
He said the approval-in-principle is subject to further consideration by the Transport Ministry and other government agencies, including the Finance and Home Affairs Ministries, the Department of Environment, the Royal Malaysian Air Force and the Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia (CAAM), among others.
Wee was responding to a call by Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow for the federal government to clarify its approval of the KXP, as announced by Kedah Menteri Besar Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor on Wednesday.
Sanusi had taken to his Facebook page to announce that the Kedah government's proposal to build a new international airport in Kulim is one step closer to reality, with the airport's plans being approved by a federal town planning body.
He said that after six years, the proposed airport has received the approval of the NPPC, which evaluates all large-scale projects in the country.
Chow, however, begged to differ, saying yesterday that the NPPC had not given the go ahead to the Kedah government to begin the proposed KXP project.
He said the NPPC had merely given a list of things which Kedah needs to comply with before they could begin the project.
As such, he called on the federal government to clear the air over the issue.
Elaborating, Wee said the KXP proposal is also subject to the findings of the National Airports Strategic Plan (NASP), which will commence in early 2021, for all 42 existing airports in the country and those in proposal stages.
He added that the KXP project owner would then be requested to provide pertinent information to NASP consultants, with realistic and accurate projections, especially pertaining to passenger and cargo service demands, and airlines that have committed to KXP, particularly during the post-Covid-19 era.
Wee said the basis for the KXP development proposal used by the project proponent is to complement passenger and cargo handling that are currently provided by the Penang International Airport (PIA).
"In this regard, it is prudent to review the proposed development of KXP at a time when PIA is nearing maximum handling capacity.
"Therefore, passenger and cargo demands must be based on robust and reliable facts and data which take into account PIA's maximum capacity and the viability of the KXP project.
"The final approval for the KXP development proposal will only be considered at the conclusion of the NASP study and in compliance with all pre-conditions set forth by the agencies involved, which are noted in technical reports such as the Environmental Impact Assessments, Social Impact Assessments, Traffic Impact Assessments, among others," he stressed.
The Transport Ministry, Wee said, welcomes all proposals from both state governments and the private sector to build airports.
"However, the MOT is duty-bound to ensure that these projects are viable and sustainable as well as able to fulfill all technical requirements established by CAAM and the Malaysian Aviation Commission (MAVCOM)," he added.
It was announced last year by the former Pakatan Harapan federal government that the proposed RM1.6 billion KXP mega project would be fully funded by the private sector, as the government was severely lacking in funds for infrastructure development.
KXP is one of the seven mega projects announced for Kedah, apart from a manufacturing industries and logistics hub in Sidam near Kulim; two phases of a 70-km stretch of the Northern Corridor highway; a digital library in Alor Star; a petrochemical industrial park in Gurun; and the Kasih Ibu Darul Aman (KIDA) programme.
The projects cost a total of over RM3 billion, and are part of efforts to draw foreign investments to the state.