IPOH, Perak hopes the Federal government and Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB) can upgrade and reinvigorate the Sultan Azlan Shah Airport (LTSAS) here, which is the main catalyst to the development of the tourism and industrial sectors.
State Tourism, Industry, Investment and Corridor Development Committee chairman Loh Sze Yee said Ipoh is a crucial economic hub for Perak and, if the facilities at LTSAS are not upgraded or well maintained, the state would not be resilient enough to face the intense competition on the world stage.
"The state government has proposed various initiatives and efforts to upgrade LTSAS. If the MAHB approves the state government's application, then it can restore Perak to its glory days.
"As a citizen of Malaysia and Perak, it is our responsibility to promote Malaysia as a priority.
"However, should MAHB not give its approval, the state government will have no choice but to promote the Changi International Airport in Singapore by, among others, encouraging tourists or investors to come to Ipoh via transit from that airport to facilitate their journey,” he said in a statement today.
He said the approval of the state government's application in the near future would enable LTSAS to be treated equally as other airports in other states.
"This is the biggest aspiration of Perak and the residents of Ipoh. Hopefully, the authorities can expedite the approval and no longer impose sanctions towards the development of the LTSAS,” he said.
Loh emphasised that the modernisation of the LTSAS is not for it to compete with the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) and the Penang International Airport but aimed at focusing on regional flights within the LTSAS.
He said he understood the financial constraints faced by the Federal government and planned to propose a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) for the operation of the LTSAS, without having to extend the existing airport runway.
"The LTSAS is capable of accommodating passenger aircraft like the Airbus A320 and A391, and also flight durations of four to five hours,” he said.
He said the state government acknowledged that it is the MAHF which determines the need to upgrade an airport in terms of evaluating the airport's activities and capacity and also records of past passenger data.
On Sunday (Oct 29), Transport Minister Anthony Loke was reported to have said that he had received an application from the Perak government regarding proposals to upgrade the LTSAS and that it was only awaiting approval from MAHB.
Source: BERNAMA News Agency