Langkawi Sky Bridge to reopen in December

LANGKAWI: One of the country’s biggest tourist attractions, the Langkawi Sky Bridge, which has been closed since 2012 for maintenance and upgrading, is to be reopened in December.

Langkawi Development Authority (Lada) chief executive officer Tan Sri Khalid Ramli said several visitors, foreign and local, expressed disappointment over the closure.

“However, they can now cheer up as the maintenance work is already 77% complete,” he said.

“There’s been a delay lately due to bad weather,” Khalid said.

“The sky bridge’s main structures will be replaced with stainless steel and a 10m-long glass walkway will be built in the middle span to enable visitors to look down the valley from where they stand.

“An inclinator to bring the visitors down from the top station will also be built,” he said after the launch of the Langkawi Sky Dome at the Oriental Village here yesterday.

Khalid said the upgrading works would cost about RM16mil.

“There will be periodical inspections on the sky bridge based on the advice of consultants,” he added.

The 125m-long bridge, hanging 700m above sea level from the peak of Gunung Mat Chinchang, closed down a month before Lada bought over Panorama Langkawi Sdn Bhd (PLSB), which maintained the sky bridge and operated the cable car, from Syarikat Prasarana Negara Berhad.

The Langkawi Sky Dome, Southeast Asia’s first outdoor “full” dome which gives visitors a panoramic 360-degree view while watching animated films, was also launched by former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad yesterday. Built at a cost of RM1.53mil, the sky dome, which has been in operation since mid-July, incorporated engineering expertise from Ukraine and Russia.

Dr Mahathir lauded Lada for adding another tourist spot in Langkawi, saying it was important for the body to work with the private sector as there was room for collaboration.

At the event, PLSB also received a certificate from the Malaysia Book of Records founder Tan Sri Danny Ooi for having the first stand-alone 360-degree panorama screen dome theatre in the country.