Deputy Transport Minister Abdul Rahim Bakri said he is confident KLIA2, the new low-cost airport, will be ready and operational by early June this year.

He said construction is over 80 per cent completed with the third runway already paved, adding airport operator Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB) and implementing teams are working day and night to ensure the works are completed on schedule.

“Based on the briefings and my working visit to the KLIA2 construction site on Friday, I have full confidence that the high-impact national project will be operational in early June as scheduled," he told Bernama here today.

Abdul Rahim said the airport will spur the nation's airline industry and make Malaysia the premier tourism destination in Southeast Asia.

“AirAsia and Malindo Airways, which will begin operations later this month, will be KLIA2's anchor airlines, besides other low-cost airlines like Tiger Airways and Cebu Pacific.

"The airport's RM4 billion development cost is said to be cheap compared to other airports in the world, the quality is good, and it employs local consultants, project managers and contractors," he said.

- Bernama