Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd’s (MAHB) airport maintenance cost will rise by 34 percent in 2024.

To ensure that all airports it operated nationwide were well maintained, MAHB’s outgoings for maintenance totalled RM546 million in 2023, the Transport Ministry said.

It added that MAHB allocated RM19.1 million in 2023 to maintain Sarawak’s airports and airstrips.

“Maintenance allocation increased to RM27.1 million in 2024, which is a 41.9 percent rise compared to 2023,” the ministry said in Parliament today in response to Pele Peter Tinggom, who said the country’s airports, especially in Sarawak, need to be upgraded, repaired and maintained effectively. 

The ministry explained that MAHB has, until 2024, identified eight airports that needed upgrading including the KLIA, Kota Kinabalu International Airport, and Kuching International Airport.

The others are Miri Airport; Bario Airfield (Short Take-Off And Landing Airports); Tawau Airport; Penang International Airport, and Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport in Subang.

The cost of upgrading works will be financed by the government via a development allocation, or by MAHB on a competitive basis.

The ministry said the financing methodology will be implemented via an investment recovery model which will be discussed with MAHB, subject to government approval.

The government continues to grant MAHB the right to operate, manage, maintain, and develop 39 airports and airstrips in Malaysia until 2069 via two operational agreements signed on March 18, 2024.

The Transport Ministry said the Malaysian Aviation Commission implemented a service quality framework in stages from September 2018 to ensure that airport infrastructure facilities and services nationwide, including those in Sarawak, are safe and well maintained with financial penalties on operators who fail to comply with the standards set.

- Bernama

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