Sanusi: Don't ‘manipulate’ incomplete report to ground Kulim airport

Caretaker Kedah Menteri Besar Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor has cautioned the Transport Ministry (MOT) not to “manipulate” the incomplete National Airport Strategic Plan (NASP) study in a bid to delay approval for the construction of the Kulim International Airport (KXP) in Kedah.

He said the NASP study would only be completed by the end of this year and any findings from the study that have been released were not final.

Sanusi asserted that there will be new developments from time to time that could affect the final NASP report.

“In this regard, I would like to remind the Transport Ministry not to make decisions, stances or media statements by ‘manipulating’ the study conducted using a large amount from the people’s money for partisan politics,” he said in a statement today.

“The Kedah Aerotropolis development project, which includes KXP as one of its components, is a highly significant project - catering economic needs of the people and country.

“It has been acknowledged by international industry players as having the potential to become an 'economic game changer' in this region,” he said.

Sanusi, who is also Kedah PN chief, was responding to a statement by the Transport Ministry yesterday, which said that there is no need for the development of a new airport in Kulim at the moment.

The ministry stated that existing facilities at the Penang International Airport (LTAPP) can still handle cargo and passenger demand based on the findings of the NASP consultant.

Based on the findings in the NASP study, the ministry said the proposal for the development of KXP was found to be “not viable”.

It also said that the construction of KXP can only be considered after the LTAPP reaches the maximum capacity of 20 million passengers per annum projected in 2042.

Citing NASP’s findings, the ministry said that 92 percent of cargo handled at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) was from passenger flight services through belly cargo, whereas only eight percent of the cargo was handled by full-fledged freighter services.

“It clearly showed that KXP’s reliance on full cargo flight services will not give it a huge boost to become a viable cargo airport as it needs to also rely on passenger flight services to transport cargo,” it said.

In response, Sanusi claimed that it is wrong for the ministry to compare the concept of KLIA and LTAPP with KXP as both existing airports operate as passenger airports, whereas KXP would be 100 percent based on transhipment cargo from Europe to China for the Asia Pacific market.

Outsiders have confidence in project

He stressed that many memoranda of understanding (MoUs) have been signed with “international cargo industry players”, which includes five MoUs signed at the 2023 Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace Exhibition 2023 (Lima'23) recently.

“It’s clear that outsiders have more confidence in this project than leaders of the federal government.”

He also alleged that the MoU signed with Henan Province Airport Group and five other industrialists during Lima’23 were not taken into account as findings in the NASP study presented in the Transport Ministry’s statement yesterday.

In a related development, the PAS leader also refuted Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s remarks that an airport could not be easily built as it touches on the issue of national security.

Sanusi stressed that the issue of national security and the interests of the air force regarding KXP were resolved nine years ago through various engagement sessions between relevant government agencies and the developer KXP AirportCity Holdings Sdn Bhd.

He then claimed that Anwar’s remarks on the issue of national security were merely excuses to delay the approval to build KXP.

Sanusi had previously urged Anwar to set aside his “personal interests” and speed up the approval to build KXP.

In March, Transport Minister Anthony Loke denied that the government rejected the proposed KXP development.

At the time, he said a NASP study of the project had yet to be finalised.

The same month, the Kedah government also appealed to Putrajaya to allow it to carry out land acquisition to build the proposed airport terminal.

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