GEORGE TOWN, May 3 — Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow today shot down Kedah Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Mukhriz Mahathir’s proposed Kulim Airport for cargo, pointing out that Penang International Airport has yet to reach full capacity.
He told a press conference that only the passenger airport has reached full capacity while the cargo area has “plenty of space”.
“So far we have not directly opposed the proposed Kulim airport, we only expressed our concerns in a sincere manner on how Penang can be impacted by it,” Chow said.
He said Mukhriz had told him last year that the RM1.6 billion project will be a cargo airport, adding that the proposal was still in its early stages.
Chow added that a private finance initiative (PFI) for the project might be good for Kedah but it was not a good enough reason for Penang not to raise concerns over the project.
Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng had previously said PFI should not be the sole reason to implement the project.
Yesterday, Chow told the state legislative assembly that with a newer, modern and more sophisticated Kulim Airport, the Penang airport might as well be “closed down”.
He said the airport will not benefit Penang in any way but instead will be in direct competition with Penang.
