Taiping (Tekah) Airport to be Hub for Flying Hospital

[W Goh 0]

In The Star today (22/02/07):

 

Hub for flying hospital

 

TAIPING: Tekah airport, one of the country’s oldest having been built by the British in 1940, has been chosen as the hub for Global Flying Hospitals (GFH), an international body that brings humanitarian medical support to developing countries.

 

Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Mohd Tajol Rosli Ghazali said the flying hospital's local representatives had picked Tekah over a few shortlisted sites recently and a memorandum of understanding (MoU) is expected to be signed within a few months.

 

He said GFH plans to use the Tekah airport as its landing hub to cater for its A310A Airbus aircrafts, to fly in patients and supplies.

 

Classic structure: Tekah airport in Taiping, built in 1940, has been selected as the regional hub for Global Flying Hospitals.

Tajol Rosli said Mercy Malaysia had recently signed an MoU with GFH, enabling the former to operate flying hospitals during emergency crises around the region.

 

(At the signing ceremony, GFH founder and chairman Neil Newton had said that the body intends to form a fleet of 10 large aircraft and supplementary helicopters and smaller planes to help Mercy create a broader footprint to meet the needs of the people in various regions in emergencies and disasters.)

 

Tajol Rosli said that the Tekah airport refurbishment was part of a RM3bil plan by the private sector, subject to Federal Government approval.

 

“The expansion of Tekah airport’s runway will entail the acquisition of 450ha of land and some (terraced) houses located around its fringes,†he said, adding that no terminal would be built other than a few small offices to house the Immigration and Customs Departments.

 

If this does go through, it's definitely good news for Taipingites like me who've never seen a plane (let alone the widebodies proposed. Does GFH even have A310s?) land at the old Taiping Airfield in my entire life. Then again, like a lot of things, it might just end up being hot air.

 

And just out of curiosity, does anyone here remember the days when Taiping Airport was still in use?

[Radzi 2]

This is Taiping.

 

 

Do you seriusly think an A310 can land and takeoff there on a regular basis? Or another reason to spend the taxpayers money for some more unnecessary construction?

[Attan 0]

Quite strange really unless (1) they want to avoid paying MAB any fee and (2) the cost of upgrading Tekah is not too high.

[Alan B. 5]

why waste more money? Can't they use SZB or any of the other airports in the country? Most are under used anyway. The millions needed to upgrade the airstrip could be used to help poor malaysians or just improve basic facilities that will benefit the average man. Yes lah Malaysia Boleh... Boleh bazir duit rakyat!

[Mushrif A 3]

The Perak Menteri Besar, being the classic politican, has the tendency to make announcements re. PR-heavy-but-substance-light MoUs (not contracts, btw) with obscure international parties for some amazing sounding projects in his state.

 

Not too long ago, he made a similar announcement that a Russian company has chosen IPH to launch near-space flights. (Of all places in the world, why IPH?).

[Yusoff 1]

Do you seriusly think an A310 can land and takeoff there on a regular basis? Or another reason to spend the taxpayers money for some more unnecessary construction?

 

What i've read in TheStar, they said the "airport refurbishment was part of RM3billion plan by the private sector, subject to Fed Gov approval" and involve in expansion of the runway and "a few small offices to house the Immigration and Customs dept."

[BC Tam 2]

Just googled GFH

 

Why more or less redo an obscure airport to cater for A310's when the organisation is going for B742's, and C130's for support ? And why base at Taiping when maintenance will be at Singapore ?

 

Looks like they (the 'private sector') will have to relook at plans for Taiping if they are to pour in RM3b. To put things in perspective, BKI redevelopment is just over RM1b. All this after the the "now on, now off" expansion of IPH (seriously under utilised I believe)

 

The story so far doesn't gel very well, if at all !

[Fitri Shukri 0]

Please NO!

Of all the place, please let Taiping remain as the quite and calm haven in Malaysia. Hopefully when I'm old and retired, I can move to live my remaining years in charming old Taipin, without planes flying above.

BTW, I saw the Police's Cessna at the Taiping airstrip some months ago. Not far from it, some locals were playing football.

[Norman 1]

The Perak Menteri Besar, being the classic politican, has the tendency to make announcements re. PR-heavy-but-substance-light MoUs (not contracts, btw) with obscure international parties for some amazing sounding projects in his state.

 

Not too long ago, he made a similar announcement that a Russian company has chosen IPH to launch near-space flights. (Of all places in the world, why IPH?).

 

What happened to the 'announced' housing development scheme in Tronoh Perak where each

house buyer would get a 'free' single-engine aircraft. Each house is said to have private

hangar for the aircraft and runway in the backyard...

[Fitri Shukri 0]

What happened to the 'announced' housing development scheme in Tronoh Perak where each

house buyer would get a 'free' single-engine aircraft. Each house is said to have private

hangar for the aircraft and runway in the backyard...

 

Wow, if it materialises, I also want to move to the desert called Tronoh! Maybe get a job at Univ. Teknologi Petronas!

 

Heck, both my sisters are living there, the houses are super damn cheap compare to KL or Penang prices.

[Seth K 3]

Why not IPH instead, they CM bugging ppl about no flight there Flying Hospital can go there instead <_ fly to kul i sure mahb will be generous. like the orbis heard they dun hv pay airport fee at all src="%7B___base_url___%7D/uploads/emoticons/default_good.gif" alt=":good:">

[KK Lee 5]

 

Another Malaysia Bodoh project

 

<_>

[Fahiruz 0]

 

hahaha... they can also use Grik.. or Kg Gajah... haha..