IPOH: The state government has no plans to relocate the Sultan Azlan Shah Airport here.
Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir said with this, the proposed RM60mil upgrading of the airport would go on as planned.
He added the state government was also mulling the possibility of setting up another international airport elsewhere in the state.
Some quarters have stated that the current location of the airport is very strategic and can act as a catalyst for the city’s economy.
“Therefore, the state government is of the opinion that the upgrading of the airport should be continued to enable small-sized aircraft to land,” he told reporters after chairing the state exco meeting here on Wednesday.
Dr Zambry was responding to statements made by an MCA special committee set up to gather feedback on the proposed Ipoh Draft Local Plan 2020, which had recommended that the airport be relocated.
The committee’s chairman Datuk Yik Phooi Hong had said that the airport should be moved to Seri Iskandar, which had been earmarked as a possible site for a new airport.
Yik had said Seri Iskandar was an ideal location as it was situated between Lumut and here, two of Perak’s tourist attractions.
His deputy, San Chak Chun was reported as saying that the Government should not waste RM60mil to upgrade the airport here but should put the money to better use elsewhere since it had not contributed much to the growth of the city.
On the possibility of setting up an international airport, Dr Zambry said the state has been in discussions with a private company to develop such an infrastructure to serve as an aviation hub for the northern area.
“This is, however, still in the planning stage. I will make my announcement in due time,” he said without disclosing the location of the proposed development.
(Published in The Star on Sept 9, 2010)
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