KOTA KINABALU: The upgrading of Tawau airport will begin early next year at a cost of about RM130mil, says Transport Minister Anthony Loke.
He said the government has shortlisted 16 companies and is in the process of appointing the main contractor.
He said the expansion should be completed in three years.
"There will be an overall expansion of about 50% and the current passenger capacity will increase from the current 1.5 million a year to 2.5 million," he told reporters after visiting the airport on Monday (Oct 7).
He said apart from expanding the terminal building, modification and beautification of the existing complex interior will also be carried out.
He said the terminal building was in poor condition at the moment.
The upgrade will see the terminal building expanded from 15,800sq m to 23,500sq gm and passenger check-in counters increased from 12 to 20.
"The most important thing is that the building will be fully air-conditioned," he added.
Loke said he had instructed Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad (MAHB) to take short-term measures to improve conditions at the airport while waiting for the upgrade to be completed.
"MAHB has been asked to add air-conditioning in crowded areas, especially the passenger waiting area.
"We also asked MAHB to improve customer service at the airport by hiring employees who can speak languages such as Mandarin and Arabic," he said.
Loke said the upgrade was important as Tawau airport is the main entry point for tourists heading to Sabah's popular diving haven in Semporna.
He said direct chartered flights to Tawau from China have seen a high number of tourist arrivals, and this is expected to increase.
Complaints about congestion at Tawau airport have been growing and Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim announced recently that the government has agreed to upgrade it.
