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Adam Lawrence

Putrajaya Approved RM1.6 Billion to Build Kulim International Airport

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Negative. According to the brilliant CM, what Penang really need is a tunnel. Not road, LRT, MRT, low cost houses, etc…

 

how about a tunnel that has dual purpose - road and rail (for the LRT/MRT to connect island to mainland using Hong Kong and New York for example)

has nobody taught of it???

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I remember when I lived in the island, their bus service was great. Many people at that time couldn't afford motorbikes or cars. I'm not sure now.

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how about a tunnel that has dual purpose - road and rail (for the LRT/MRT to connect island to mainland using Hong Kong and New York for example)

has nobody taught of it???

 

I remember when I lived in the island, their bus service was great. Many people at that time couldn't afford motorbikes or cars. I'm not sure now.

Yes, the dual purpose are currently being proposed however the local government needs the federal government to sink in money together to get the project going. It has a big big price tag, even Penang cannot afford alone. So far no response from federal government.

 

Most of Penang lang are some of the richest in the country, so car ownership is getting out of control.

 

Anyhow back to main topic, I agree with most of forum members here, Kulim may give Penang a run for money if connectivity from and to airport is good. However convincing the industry players to get their goods over to Kulim for export is another story all together....

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Malacca have sizeable factories and manufacturing industries and Ali Rustam upgraded the airport few times, did any of cargo, let alone pax airlines utilise it? Negeri Sembilan has many factories too, especially in Senawang, and upcoming Nilai and Sendayan industrial parks, those parks combine is bigger than Kulim HTP. But have they decide to build their own airport just to transport their produce?

 

New airport in Kulim is just a mere suggestion to gain political mileage. Period. Its not gonna happen in 20 years. Its easy to build but who's gonna utilise it? Dont waste rakyat money just to feed their ego.

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..... Kulim may give Penang a run for money if connectivity from and to airport is good. However convincing the industry players to get their goods over to Kulim for export is another story all together....

More evidence that Malaysia does not need external competitors - our in-house oneupmanship is already quite sufficient to drain the nation's (finite) resources

 

 

Dont waste rakyat money just to feed their ego.

I'm not convinced it's just ego that need feeding ...... :) Edited by BC Tam

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They should have something like this spanning from Johor all the way to Perlis.

 

D7SSfWg.jpg

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Kulim international airport will start as an air cargo airport

KULIM (Mar 31): The first phase of the estimated RM1.6 billion Kulim International Airport (KXP) would kick-off as an air cargo airport, said Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Mukhriz Mahathir.

Mukhriz told the media that based on feedback from manufacturers and industry players regarding the shortage of cargo handling capacity at the Penang International Airport (PIA), there is a need for a new air freight airport.

According to Mukhriz, the plan is well received by the manufacturers in Kulim Hi-Tech Park (KHTP). KXP would later cater the passenger air traffic as well.

However, the plan to build KXP, which is still being studied by the Economic Planning Unit (EPU) with additional research done by the state government, has yet to receive greenlight.

Mukhriz noted that the feedback revealed that KXP air freight facility would be able to meet the demand for an air cargo airport. There are reports that cargo traffic to PIA has been declining by 10.5% annually mainly as manufacturers have opted for land transportation due to capacity shortage.

“We received feedback from manufacturers in (KHTP), other parts of Kedah and Penang that they have been transporting their cargo by road to Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA).

“At PIA, the emphasis is on passenger travels compared to cargo movements. Hence, our plan to make Phase One of KXP a cargo airport to pick up the slack,” said Mukhriz.

He added that the existing one runway was not sufficient to meet the air traffic on the island. The convention is that if a plane is landing at PIA, priority is given to a passenger aircraft.

Speaking to the media after a briefing with International Trade and Industries Minister Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamad, Mukhriz added that the KXP air freight airport would not affect PIA’s business as its focus was on handling passengers.

He said PIA was performing well in handling passengers with statistics showing a 10% increase on domestic and international flight travellers to 6.03 million last year from 2013 at PIA.

It is believed that Mukhriz was aiming to have KXP included under the 11th Malaysia Plan (11MP).

Over the years, Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng had been urging the federal government to look into building another runway at PIA because foreign direct investments had grown in the state.

On March 25, Lim wrote to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak to include the expansion and improvement of PIA at a cost of RM600 million under the 11MP as the number of passengers are expected to exceed 6.5 million this year.

“We urge that the airport expansion would also include a maintenance, repair and overhaul hub. We have made plans to reclaim hundreds of acres of land for expansion purposes,” said Lim.

Mustapa said the federal government encouraged infrastructure improvement as it would help industrial development. “Mukhriz’s plan for a cargo airport is important for industrial development. The government is studying the need currently but any infrastructure that can boost investment would be encouraged,” the minister added.

 

http://www.theedgemarkets.com/en/node/192786#.VRpz0kyJumQ.twitter

 

He is serious about this?

Edited by Muhammad Othman

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They should have something like this spanning from Johor all the way to Perlis.

 

 

 

That is the way to go. Build a runway parallel to existing PLUS highway.

 

Any state government (or local council) who wish to build their own aerodrome can just build taxiways linking to the 'trunk' runway

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Kulim area is actually booming especially on the automobile industry.

Now, all cargo are port landed at Butterworth, stored and sorted before deliveries to Kulim industrial areas.

 

Perhaps an airport nearby will accelerate the industry's growth there.

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It is booming, from donkey years ago. But the growth does not justify building another airport while we all know PEN is far from overcapacity.

But if we're to wait until PEN reaches overcapacity, it'll be too late.

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Kulim area is actually booming especially on the automobile industry.

But the stuff you need to bring in/out of the area for that industry, is air freight a cost effective option ?

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I'm waiting for the time when Perlis also will request their own fully functional airport... Subang to Kangar on ATR72 anyone?

Edited by Fitri Shukri

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Remember there was a time when every state on the west coast peninsula wanted their own airport? The era of the west coast airport corridor.

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But the stuff you need to bring in/out of the area for that industry, is air freight a cost effective option ?

 

I was thinking more of bringing foreign investors directly to the area.

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I was thinking more of bringing foreign investors directly to the area.

Sorry, must have misunderstood you, for you were mentioning about cargo being landed at Butterworth etc

Btw, what sort of industries there do you have in mind that would warrant plane loads of investors on regular basis ? :) If you don't mind me saying, that quote above sounds very similar to what we are quite used to hearing when when gahmen people romanticize projeks as mean of justification :D

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Sorry, must have misunderstood you, for you were mentioning about cargo being landed at Butterworth etc

Btw, what sort of industries there do you have in mind that would warrant plane loads of investors on regular basis ? :) If you don't mind me saying, that quote above sounds very similar to what we are quite used to hearing when when gahmen people romanticize projeks as mean of justification :D

 

Well, I can't for sure know the reasons for the Gov to build an airport there (which I am sure it valid by itself), but as an automotive industry person whose' company has an automotive component plant located in Kulim, our foreign partners and customers dreaded the drive from KL or even from Penang itself. Given the choice, most of them preferred to fly direct from KLIA to (Kulim airport).Have a couple of meetings, golfs, and then off to Thailand without having to go over to the island for flight.

Kulim can be an automotive hub as the land there is still considered "cheap", attractive government incentives, and its nearer to Thailand where most of the components are manufactured hence lower cost of manufacturing.

Anyways, it is just me on the automotive industry.

 

As for the development of the locality, it would be a boost to the local people' income with the airport works and spin-offs.

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It is a good idea to show on the map the exact location of the proposed airport. Then, we can pinpoint where is the nearest highway (and railway station) and adjacent landuses such as industrial land and urban centres. Then at least we will know whether the proposed airport is good for northern region. A win-win situation for Kedah, Penang and Perlis, and to some extent northern Perak. What is the projected population growth in Penang and Kedah? How much land is needed to support economic activity?

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..... our foreign partners and customers dreaded the drive from KL or even from Penang itself. Given the choice, most of them preferred to fly direct from KLIA to (Kulim airport).Have a couple of meetings, golfs, and then off to Thailand without having to go over to the island for flight.

Doubt if that is enough there alone to sustain traffic regularly, and by extension economic viability of spending millions (more likely billions) of public funds to build the proposed airport in first place. But then as you alluded to, gahmen must have valid reason(s) :)

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Doubt if that is enough there alone to sustain traffic regularly, and by extension economic viability of spending millions (more likely billions) of public funds to build the proposed airport in first place. But then as you alluded to, gahmen must have valid reason(s) :)

 

 

yeah, i think the airport project will help lift the income status of the people there.

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