KOTA BARU: The first phase of the new terminal at the Sultan Ismail Petra Airport (LTSIP) in Pengkalan Chepa here has begun operations.
Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB) senior general manager Kamaruzzaman Razali said the new terminal is expected to receive 30 to 35 flights and see an increase of 4,000 to 4,500 passengers a day.
“The work to upgrade the LTSIP terminal is progressing well and expected to be fully completed by 2027,” he told reporters after inspecting the start of operations at the new LTSIP terminal yesterday, Bernama reported.
Kamaruzzaman said the upgraded facilities at LTSIP include more aerobridges compared to the old terminal, which had only three, along with a dedicated route for international passengers.
In addition, he said, the new terminal is equipped with over 20 flight counters, an elevated car park, a dedicated taxi driver route, a fire and rescue station, a larger apron area and a cashless operating system for passengers’ convenience.
Meanwhile, Kamaruzzaman said MAHB is currently in talks with relevant parties to facilitate flights from Singapore, Thailand and Indonesia to LTSIP.
The new LTSIP terminal, he added, has not been classified as an international airport as it has not scheduled any international flights and must fulfil several criteria to do so.
The RM440mil LTSIP expansion and upgrading project aims to enhance facilities and increase the airport terminal’s capacity from 1.5 million to four million passengers per year.
