LETTERS: Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad (MAHB), which manages and operates the Kuala International Airport (KLIA), should seriously firm up a time frame as part of its plans to expand passenger handling capacity to accommodate the growing inbound and outbound traffic, particularly at Terminal 1.
KLIA1, recently renamed Terminal 1, has outgrown itself, handling a massive 30 million passengers.
On Dec 11, 2014, it was announced that MAHB was gearing up for a major expansion as part of the KLIA 2020 Masterplan.
Terminal 1's capacity will nearly double from 30 million to 59 million while Terminal 2 will be expanded from 45 million to 67 million. No expansion has been carried out at Terminal 1 since KLIA commenced operations for the initial passenger capacity of 25 million to increase to 30 million.
Under the expansion plan, a fourth runway is also planned for the facility. However, we have to be realistic about whether KLIA needs a fourth runway even in the long term. The airport operates with three independent runways, each 4km long and 1.5km apart, which allows simultaneous landing and takeoff.
In 2023 KLIA handled 47.2 million passengers. By comparison, London Heathrow Airport which operates only two runways and five terminals handled 79.2 million passengers in 2023.
KLIA needs to set a firm date for the construction of the planned expansion and when it will be completed as passenger traffic at Terminal 1 is already bursting at its seams. Do not wait until the situation gets worse.
As the operator of KLIA, MAHB must also seriously look into resolving the congestion of unattended vehicles at the drop-off and pick-up points at the arrival and departure levels. Unattended vehicles should be clamped and a penalty levied as a deterrent to others.
WILLIAM DENNIS
Subang Jaya, Selangor
The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect those of the New Straits Times