Upgrading of LTAPP begins at year end

Penang International Airport

GEORGE TOWN: The Penang International Airport (LTAPP) upgrading and expansion works in Bayan Lepas, near here, is expected to begin at the end of this year, Transport Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai said.

He said currently Malaysia Airport Holdings Bhd (MAHB) had submitted an open tender for design specification for LTAPP expansion and after the design specification was completed, an open tender for the project contract would be made in the middle of this year.

"All the processes will be implemented this year as well. In addition to waiting for terminal expansion and aero-bridge additions and others this year, MAHB will also invest about RM35 million in optimising the use of existing terminals, namely, expansion of space and so on.

"Now (LTAPP) is congested and we can not wait another two years for LTAPP enlargement, we will not stop by just waiting for the new terminal, we will continue to upgrade the toilets, parking lots and so on to provide passenger comfort in LTAPP, " he told a press conference after attending the MCA Penang Chinese New Year Open House, here today.

He said LTAPP expansion would involve the addition of register counters from 61 counters to 96 counters, building a 1,000-capacity multi-storey car parks and aircraft parking bays from 16 to 31 as well as construction of a Mitsui Outlet.

"We believe the LTAPP expansion can accommodate up to 12 million passengers at a time and it is estimated that it will be able to accommodate passenger increase rates each year up to 2028

"Last year, the passenger increase was 8.5 per cent and we are confident it will continue to grow. We hope the expansion of this airport will help further the development of Penang and the whole country," he said.

Meanwhile, Liow said the development and expansion of the Swettenham Jetty, here is expected to begin in August to attract more cruise ships.

Source: Bernama | 24 February 2018

Malaysia Airports hits record 96.6 million passengers in 2017

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd's (MAHB) passenger movements at its domestic airports grew 8.7 per cent to a record of 96.6 million passengers in 2017, surpassing the 90 million mark for the first time.

In a filing to Bursa Malaysia today, MAHB said the passenger traffic was mainly driven by the international sector, which rose 14.6 per cent to 49.5 million passengers in 2017 over 2016.

"Domestic traffic on the other hand recorded 47.1 million passenger movements, an increase of 3.1 per cent over the same period in 2016. The Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) recorded 58.6 million passengers in 2017, a double-digit growth of 11.4 per cent over 2016.

"KLIA handled 28.3 million passengers, 11 per cent higher than in 2016 while KLIA 2 handled 30.3 million passengers, a growth of 11.8 per cent over 2016. KLIA and Kota Kinabalu were among the airports that registered a double-digit growth in passenger movements," it said.

MAHB said other airports that also registered positive growth were Penang, Kuching, Langkawi, Kota Bharu, Melaka, Tawau and Bintulu, while overall aircraft movements for airports in Malaysia increased by 4.5 per cent in 2017.

It said the international movements increased by 11 per cent while domestic sector increased by 0.7 per cent, with the overall average load factor for 2017 at 76 per cent, the highest since 2012.

Despite the high increase in the international aircraft movements, MAHB said average load factor for the international sector was an all-time high of 77 per cent, while overall cargo movements increased by 7.9 per cent in 2017 to 955,936 tonnes, the first positive growth since 2014.

Meanwhile, MAHB said the Istanbul Sabiha Gokcen Airport's (SGIA) total passengers surpassed the 30 million mark for the first time in 2017, registering 31.3 million passengers, an increase of 5.7 per cent over 2016.

"International passengers increased by 8.4 per cent, while domestic passengers increased by 4.5 per cent. Istanbul SGIA's passenger traffic picked up momentum after February 2017," it added.

Based on prevailing economic conditions and the additional airlines seat capacity offered, MAHB said Malaysia passenger traffic in 2018 is expected to register 103.7 million passengers over 96.6 million recorded in 2017.

"The international and domestic passenger traffic is expected to register 53.9 million and 49.8 million movements, respectively. It is expected that fuel cost (single largest airline cost at 20-40 per cent) will remain close to current prices.

"Malaysia would continue to benefit from visa relaxation for Chinese and Indian tourists. The 2018 traffic numbers are expected to be mainly contributed by China, India and Southeast Asia sectors which currently make up 75 per cent of the international traffic," it said.

For the Istanbul SGIA, it said this year the airport is expected to register 34 million passenger movements with 12 million international and 22 million domestic movements.

"While the Turkish economic growth is expected to record a stable 4.0 per cent growth, passenger growth is expected to remain moderate resulting from runway capacity constraints," it added.

Source: Bernama | 21 February 2018

MAHB poised to tap growing aerospace industry

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB) is poised to tap the growing aviation-related industry after streamlining its businesses through the setting up of two subsidiaries.

Managing Director Datuk Badlisham Ghazali said for its overseas foray, the airport operator would set up Malaysia Airports International by end of this quarter.

"We're putting all international assets under this subsidiary and will be looking for more opportunities overseas, either by taking a stake in other companies or providing services ourselves," he told Bernama in an interview.

Badlisham said its maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) and land development portfolios, meanwhile, would be placed under another subsidiary, KLIA Aeropolis Sdn Bhd.

"It will house all our land development assets as well as aviation support and logistic businesses. This will be realised latest by the first or second quarter of this year," he said.

Badlisham said following this, MAHB would have three lines of business: airports operations in Malaysia, the aeropolis (airport city) business and the international business.

MAHB ranks among the world's largest airport operators in terms of the number of passengers handled.

It manages and operates 39 airports in Malaysia and an international airport in Istanbul, Turkey.

It also provides airport management and technical services for the development, operation, maintenance and management of overseas international airports.

"All that would be structured this year. There\'ll be great times for MAHB ahead," he added.

According to Badlisham, Malaysia is in a strong position to seize the new opportunities in the aviation business, either in manufacturing, MRO or services.

"A lot of companies - either new companies or those seeking to expand - are looking at Asia-Pacific. They are looking for locations for specific sectors.

"For Subang, we're looking at tier 1 and tier 2 players. Not only is the location near the airport but also the ecosystem of other players that it supports. The tier 2 players will supply to the tier 1 companies, which in turn will supply to the main manufacturers both regionally and globally," he said.

MAHB is also involved in the masterplan created by the Ministry of International Trade and Industry to drive the aerospace industry\'s growth - the Malaysia Aerospace Industry Blueprint 2030.

"We want to build Malaysia as the aerospace hub for Asia-Pacific. The key part is how to redevelop Subang as well as we have developed KLIA."

"We are not only an airport operator in Malaysia, but have also been tasked to develop the land around the airport," he noted, adding that an area about 25 hectares in Subang remained for the last phase of redevelopment.

It is best suited to support the aviation industry; therefore, getting the right type of investment is crucial, not only to serve current customers but also tap the growing opportunities across the region, with aircraft delivery here expected to double in the next 20 years.

"A lot of aerospace players already like Malaysia because of the availability of land and industry development programmes. What they want to see is the execution," he said.

Meanwhile, MAHB is waiting for a report from the International Air Transport Association (IATA), which it commissioned to do a study on its infrastructure and operation.

"It is an eight-month work. Recommendations arising from that study will be presented this month," Badlisham said.

MAHB tried to balance between the IATA growth forecast and the growth of MAHB's infrastructure, he explained.

The company has allocated half a billion ringgit for airport automation and expansion over the next 12 months.

"We are also going to complete our expansion of the Langkawi International Airport, costing about RM80 million in August. Another RM500 million will be spent to expand the Penang International Airport to boost its annual passenger capacity from 6.5 million to 12 million and the two-year project will start at the end of the year."

"We're also expanding the airport in Kota Bharu, which will cost about RM470 million, over the next three years. So many other projects are being done. Malaysia doesn't lack plans in upgrading its infrastructure," he added.

Badlisham said the upgrading and expansion activities involved not only the physical infrastructure but also other facilities involving other agencies to increase resources, such as the Department of Civil Aviation, the Customs Department and the police.

Source: Bernama | Business | 13 February 2018

MAHB perkemas perniagaan bagi manfaatkan perkembangan industri aeroangkasa

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB) bertindak memperkemaskan perniagaannya dengan penubuhan dua anak syarikat bagi merebut peluang hasil daripada perkembangan industri berkaitan penerbangan.

Pengarah Urusannya, Datuk Badlisham Ghazali berkata di peringkat antarabangsa, pengendali lapangan terbang itu akan menubuhkan Malaysia Airports International menjelang akhir suku ini.

"Kami akan meletakkan semua aset-aset antarabangsa di bawah anak syarikat ini dan mencari lebih banyak peluang di luar negara sama ada dengan mengambil alih kepentingan dalam syarikat lain atau menyediakan sendiri perkhidmatan terbabit," katanya kepada Bernama dalam satu temu bual, baru-baru ini.

Badlisham berkata satu lagi anak syarikat iaitu KLIA Aeropolis Sdn Bhd akan mengendalikan portfolio penyelenggaraan, pembaikan dan baik pulih (MRO) serta pembangunan tanah MAHB.

"Ia melibatkan pengendalian semua aset pembangunan tanah selain perniagaan sokongan penerbangan dan logistik dan dijangka menjadi kenyataan paling lewat menjelang suku pertama atau kedua tahun ini," katanya.

Susulan itu, kata Badlisham, MAHB akan memiliki tiga segmen perniagaan - operasi lapangan terbang di Malaysia, perniagaan aeropolis (bandar raya lapangan terbang) dan perniagaan antarabangsa.

MAHB tersenarai antara pengendali lapangan terbang terbesar dunia dari segi pengurusan bilangan penumpang, termasuk operasi dan mengendalikan 39 lapangan terbang di Malaysia dan sebuah lapangan terbang antarabangsa di Istanbul, Turki.

Pada masa sama, ia turut menyediakan perkhidmatan pengurusan lapangan terbang dan teknikal bagi pembangunan, pengoperasian, penyelenggaraan dan pengurusan lapangan terbang antarabangsa di luar negara.

"Kesemua itu akan disusun pada tahun ini. MAHB akan menyaksikan tempoh yang cemerlang di masa-masa akan datang," katanya.

Badlisham turut menyuarakan rasa optimis bahawa Malaysia berada dalam kedudukan yang kukuh untuk merebut peluang-peluang baharu dalam perniagaan penerbangan sama ada pembuatan, MRO mahu pun perkhidmatan.

"Banyak syarikat - sama ada baharu atau yang mahu berkembang, memberi tumpuan terhadap Asia-Pasifik. Mereka mencari lokasi bagi sektor-sektor tertentu.

"Di Subang misalnya, kami mencari kalangan penggiat peringkat 1 dan 2. Bukan sahaja lokasinya yang berhampiran dengan lapangan terbang tetapi juga ekosistem penggiat lain yang disokong. Penggiat peringkat 2 akan membekal kepada syarikat peringkat 1 yang kemudiannya berperanan menyalurkan bekalan kepada pengeluar utama di peringkat serantau dan global," katanya.

MAHB juga terbabit dalam Pelan Induk Pembangunan Industri Aeroangkasa 2030 yang diwujudkan oleh Kementerian Perdagangan Antarabangsa dan Industri bagi memacu perkembangan industri berkenaan.

"Kami mahu menjadikan Malaysia sebagai hab aeroangksa untuk rantau Asia-Pasifik. Apa yang penting adalah bagaimana untuk membangunkan semula Subang serta memajukan KLIA (Lapangan Terbang Antarabangsa Kuala Lumpur).

"MAHB bukan setakat pengendali lapangan terbang di Malaysia tetapi turut dipertanggungjawabkan memajukan tanah di sekitar lapangan terbang terbabit," katanya.

Ini termasuk kawasan seluas 25 hektar di Subang yang merupakan fasa terakhir bagi tujuan pembangunan semula dan dilihat paling sesuai sebagai sokongan kepada industri penerbangan.

Sehubungan itu, kata Badlisham, usaha mendapatkan pelaburan yang tepat adalah amat penting bukan sahaja bagi memenuhi keperluan pelanggan sedia ada tetapi juga merebut peluang besar di sekitar rantau ini susulan peningkatan penghantaran menerusi penerbangan di sini yang dijangka berlipat ganda dalam tempoh 20 tahun akan datang.

"Banyak penggiat industri aeroangkasa yang sukakan Malaysia kerana tanah yang ada serta program pembangunan industri yang disediakan. Namun, apa yang mereka mahu lihat adalah pelaksanaannya," katanya.

Dalam pada itu, beliau berkata MAHB juga masih menunggu laporan pihak Persatuan Pengangkutan Udara Antarabangsa (IATA) yang diberi tugasan oleh pihaknya untuk melakukan kajian infrastruktur dan operasi syarikat itu.

"Tugas itu memakan masa lapan bulan. Sebarang syor daripada kajian itu akan dikemukakan pada bulan ini," katanya.

Jelas Badlisham, MAHB sememangnya berusaha untuk menseimbangkan antara unjuran pertumbuhan IATA dan perkembangan infrastruktur.

Malah, MAHB telah memperuntukkan sejumlah setengah bilion ringgit bagi tujuan automasi lapangan terbang bagi tempoh 12 bulan akan datang.

"Kami dalam usaha menyiapkan usaha pembesaran Lapangan Terbang Antarabangsa Langkawi yang menelan kos kira-kira RM80 juta pada Ogos ini. Sejumlah RM500 juta lagi akan dibelanjakan bagi pembesaran Lapangan Terbang Antarabangsa Pulau Pinang bagi melonjakkan kapasiti penumpang tahunan kepada 12 juta orang berbanding 6.5 juta orang ketika ini.

"Projek selama dua tahun itu akan dimulakan pada akhir tahun ini.

"Selain itu, usaha pembesaran itu turut dilakukan di Lapangan Terbang Kota Bharu yang menelan kos kira-kira RM470 juta bagi tempoh tiga tahun akan datang. Banyak projek lain juga telah dijalankan. Malaysia tidak pernah ketinggalan dari segi perancangan untuk mempertingkatkan aspek infrastrukturnya," katanya.

Menurut Badlisham, usaha menaik taraf dan pengembangan itu tidak hanya membabitkan aspek infrastruktur fizikal tetapi juga kemudahan lain yang merangkumi agensi lain bagi mempertingkatkan sumber-sumbernya seperti Jabatan Penerbangan Awam, Jabatan Kastam Diraja Malaysia serta pihak polis.

Sumber: Bernama | Ekonomi | 13 Februari 2018

Expansion of LTSIP set to boost Kelantan's economy

KOTA BHARU: The RM450 million project to upgrade and expand Sultan Ismail Petra Airport (LTSIP) in Pengkalan Chepa here, is set to boost the Kelantan's economy while providing comfort to passengers.

With the expansion, the airport terminal will be able to accommodate four million passengers a year, compared to its current capacity of 1.3 million.

The upgrading works planned for LTSIP due to start in July, is among several mega projects to be implemented in the state under the 11th Malaysia Plan (RMK11).

A check by Bernama revealed that passengers and traders were happy with the project, expected to complete by 2020, as it would help generate income for people in the state.

Malay Chamber of Commerce Kelantan honorary secretary, Noor Eedi Che Aziz said the move to expand LTSIP was to cater to future needs of the busiest airport in the East Coast region.

"With the expansion of the airport, more domestic and international tourists will visit the state, thereby contributing to the state's economic growth," he said.

"The airport expansion will also provide more employment opportunities and retail space for small and medium enterprises," he said adding that LTSIP had the potential to become a travel hub for ASEAN countries.

Meanwhile LTSIP Taxi Association chairman Ab Rashed Mamat said with the increasing number of flights there would be more business for taxi drivers.

"It is hoped that with the expansion, traffic congestion will also be addressed, so that we no longer have problems in picking up and dropping off passengers," he said.

Meanwhile, State Federal Action Council chairman Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed said the implementation of the project proved that the Barisan Nasional government fulfilled its pledges.

Source: Bernama | 12 February 2018

Pembesaran LTSIP tambah keselesaan, jana pendapatan rakyat Kelantan

KOTA BHARU: Projek pembesaran Lapangan Terbang Sultan Ismail Petra (LTSIP) Pengkalan Chepa di sini, yang dijangka bermula Julai depan membabitkan kos RM450 juta, akan merancakkan pertumbuhan ekonomi negeri di samping memberi lebih keselesaan kepada pengguna.

Pembesaran terminal LTSIP itu sekali gus mampu menampung empat juta penumpang setahun berbanding sekarang ini hanya sekitar 1.3 juta orang.

Pembesaran LTSIP adalah antara beberapa projek mega yang akan dilaksanakan dalam Rancangan Malaysia Ke-11 (RMK-11) di negeri ini oleh Kerajaan Persekutuan.

Tinjauan Bernama mendapati rata-rata penumpang dan peniaga gembira dengan pelaksanaan projek berkenaan yang dijangka siap pada 2020 kerana akan memberikan keselesaan dan menjana pendapatan rakyat negeri ini.

Setiausaha Kehormat Dewan Perniagaan Melayu Malaysia Kelantan Noor Eedi Che Aziz berkata langkah Kerajaan Persekutuan membesarkan LTSIP bagi menampung keperluan masa depan lapangan terbang paling sibuk di wilayah Pantai Timur Semenanjung dengan purata 42 penerbangan sehari.

Sumber: Bernama | 12 Februari 2018