KUANTAN: The extension of the runway at the airport on Tioman Island is expected to bring more tourists there, says state unity, tourism and culture committee chairman Leong Yu Man.
This would increase the income of local residents, she said.
She said the current runway at the airport in Kampung Tekek, measuring 850m long, could only accommodate a small plane with a dozen passengers.
“The runway extension project will allow larger aircraft, such as the ATR which can carry 72 passengers, to land on Tioman Island, as well as allow unlimited access for the aircraft to fly in even during the monsoon season when the ferry service is disrupted,” she told Bernama.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim when tabling Budget 2024 last Friday announced an allocation of RM47mil to improve passenger facilities at the Tioman Airport terminal and extend the existing runway to 1,300m.
Meanwhile, Tioman Development Authority general manager Datuk Idros Yahya said the extension, when completed, could increase the number of flights to the island as there were many airlines using ATR 72 aircraft.
He said currently, there were only four flights a week to Tioman Island departing from Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport in Subang, Selangor.
“A plane with a larger capacity will allow us to target overseas tourists, including Singapore or Batam in Indonesia, in addition to domestic flights such as those from Penang and Kota Baru.”
According to Idros, extending the runway would also minimise the environmental impact, compared to building a new airport.
The airport has been in use since the 1980s.
Meanwhile, a tourism operator on the island, Hadzeri Hamzah, 42, said that with the extension of the runway, aircraft would be able to fly into the island all year round, hence generating more income for local residents.
“Our income depends on tourists. If there are fewer tourists, there is less income. In November and December, there are fewer tourists as ferries cannot operate due to the rough seas, but with the extension, we can have more planes flying in,” he added.
In 2018, there was a proposal to build the Tioman International Airport in Kampung Genting but Natural Resources, Environment and Climate Change Minister Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad was reported to have said in August that the government would not proceed with the project because it involved land reclamation.
