PENANG International Airport (PIA) is getting congested as tourist arrivals keep rising but the structure has not been expanded since 2012.
The terminal was built to cater to 6.5 million passenger a year but last year, the number of passengers reached 7.2 million.
Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng has proposedanew Low Cost Carrier Terminal (LCCT) for Penang but there is no need for one. Just expand the PIA.
Consider this: Ngurah Rai International Airport in Bali handled over 20 million passengers last year. The airport does not have a dedicated LCCT. What it has is open apron for low- cost carriers.
The government should know the implication of building the new LCCT at the south point of PIA. The existing cargo facility owned by MASkargo needs to be moved to a new location and the relocation comes with costs. It has to build aprons, warehouses, security checkpoints and customs bays to meet International Civil Aviation Organisation standards .
Building a new LCCT that only caters for the needs of low-cost carriers is a waste of much needed money.
The expansion of the PIA terminal would be more preferable as the facilities can be shared by all airlines, including low-cost carriers.
ARAFAT ESAH
Penang